Dawnbreak
by TheOriginalTale
Summary: Please read Kingdom Come first if you haven't already. It contains information that could be vital to this story. The promised war has arrived at the surface. There will be blood. There will be justice for the ones that were lost centuries ago.
1. The Seventh Soul

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**If you have NOT read the Kingdom Come trilogy, read that first. This story takes place in the same timeline, so you will need to read that story in order to understand key events from this story.**

Asriel slumped forward slightly in his throne, propping his head up against his hand as his arm rested on the armrest. He sighed, his other hand tapping the throne ever slightly. He had a weird feeling about today. He wasn't sure why, but something just nagged at him. Like something important was happening that he was not yet aware of.

As if on cue, he heard metal footsteps approach. He looked up as Undyne walked into the throne room, standing straight as she saw him. Asriel spoke first.

"Captain Undyne. Anything to report?"

Undyne nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do your highness. It looks like... another human has fallen into the Underground."

Asriel's grip tightened on the throne, the nagging feeling making much more sense now. His eyes darkened as he remained silent. Undyne continued after hearing nothing in response.

"Do...you want me to intercept them and collect its soul?"

Asriel thought of this, then shook his head. "No. Let the human come. You are to follow them closely, and should they attack you, you have my authority to use deadly force. If possible though, I would prefer to face them myself."

Undyne seemed somewhat confused by the change in orders, but simply nodded. "As you wish King Asriel." With this, she turned and left the throne room. Asriel leaned back in the throne, sighing.

It had been centuries since the…'incident' with Chara, though despite the hundreds of years, he still remembered it as if it had happened no more than an hour ago. He wasn't sure whether it was a blessing, or a curse. He let his thoughts wander over the events that had passed since then. His official coronation had occurred as soon as his chest wound had fully healed, the entire kingdom had attended it. The first human fell nearly thirty years later. Over the centuries, more humans had fallen, and each one had met the same fate. Gaster had been more than generous enough to supply the containment pods the souls were being kept in.

Gerson had served the royal guard well, but when he became too old to properly command it, he had trained a promising young monster with a spirit of fire almost similar to Asriel's. That monster had been Undyne, who rocketed through the ranks to becoming captain of the guard within months of joining. She took her job very seriously, and Asriel knew he could rely on her in the toughest of scenarios.

Gaster was always absorbed in his projects, that had never changed. What did change was when he had taken on an assistant scientist by the name of Alphys. Asriel hadn't even been aware until he visited Gaster shortly after the fifth human fell. She was brilliant, she was also a bit nervous and seemed to have a nervous stutter, but brilliant nonetheless.

As for Asriel himself, he had changed drastically since Toriel's murder. He was no longer the soft, open prince he had once been known as. That prince was a relic, dead and disregarded. Chara killed that Asriel the moment her knife sank into Toriel's chest. The new Asriel, was hard, and willing to do whatever it took to achieve justice. Still, he was loved by his people, and he always had open doors to monsters wanting to seek out advice, or assistance. But what mattered now, to King Asriel, was the human.

This was the sixth human that had fallen. This was the 327th year since he declared war. He had counted. It was no surprise that several of the humans were young, many in their late childhood or young adolescence. Humans of that age seemed to have a tendency to wander. They currently had six human souls, including Chara's, who had been the very first. This human soul would mark the seventh, and final soul Asriel would require to break the barrier. For centuries he had dreamt of what the restoration of the monster kingdom on the surface would look like, but now that the day seemed to be right on top of him, he felt overwhelmed.

Hours passed by. Soon, Asriel stood up and began to pace, one of the only things that could keep him calm. It almost seemed like several days had passed before he heard more footsteps slowly approaching the throne room. He turned to the door, almost freezing with shock when he saw what greeted him. The human was a little girl, but she seemed to be younger than most that had fallen down. Asriel couldn't help but be startled by how young she seemed. He cleared his throat.

"Ah...human…" He couldn't find the words. "I suppose, if you're here...you know what we must do. Yes?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah. I heard all about how you need to break the barrier."

Asriel's face was grim. "So you are aware…"

His hand twitched closer to the hilt of his sword. The girl didn't flinch at the motion. In fact, she stared him straight in his eyes.

"I know you need to take my soul. But, I don't want to hurt you. So, I'll just give you my soul."

Asriel was now dumbfounded. "I...w-what?"

The girl tried to explain. "It must be hard, being trapped under here for so long. I think you'll need the soul more than I will." She gave him a smile that reminded him of a friend from long ago.

He shook his head quickly, trying to clear his mind. "I...I don't understand. You won't fight? You know I will have to...kill you...right? You're prepared to lay down your life for a species your kind was once at war with?"

The girl shrugged. "It's for the greater good. Right? Besides, if sacrificing my soul will allow all those monsters down there, and you, to be free? I think it's worth it."

Asriel felt emotions tugging on his heart as he slowly approached the girl, staring up at him. He searched her eyes. There was no regret, no fear, not even sadness. Just a look of hope, and compassion.

"I see...well human...it was very nice to...to meet you. Goodbye." He quickly drew his sword and slashed at her chest. He quickly followed it up by a second stab through her heart. She crumpled to the ground, but still kept the smile on her face. Asriel sighed. He had tried to make it as quick as possible. Such a kind girl did not deserve a painful death.

He watched as the seventh soul hovered above her body. He had time before it would shatter, so he took several moments to stare at the green soul, mesmerized by the power seeming to pulse from it. Then, he quickly stood and ran to get the final pod. He brought it back, locking the soul inside. Asriel then lifted it up and carrier it out of the throne room towards the stairs. Undyne was near the opposite end of the hall, and Asriel called to her.

"Send for Doctor Gaster. Tell him he is needed here immediately."

Undyne for once was strangely silent, only nodding as she left him. Asriel first set the pod at the bottom with the others. He walked back upstairs, retrieving the girl's body, bringing it back downstairs. There, he could see six coffins. Chara's body had been buried with Toriel, Asgore, and Terrowin's remains. He laid the girl in the sixth coffin, closing it. He let his hand rest on it, staring at the line as he took another heavy sigh. Here, he waited.

Twenty minutes later, Gaster's voice broke out as he entered the room.

"Your majesty! You wanted to see-...oh." He stopped when he saw the seventh soul. "The final soul. You've got it!"

Asriel nodded. "It's taken centuries Gaster...but we've finally done it. The seven souls."

Gaster stared at the souls, clearing his throat. "I suppose, you are going to break the barrier then, yes?"

Asriel turned around. "This is the plan. However...I think I will put off this plan until tomorrow."

Gaster looked up, curious. "Any particular reason why your majesty?"

Asriel shrugged. "A couple. For one, I will need time to get the royal guard ready to return to the surface. Also, I...I need time to think. I'll be honest with you, it's been so long, I was beginning to believe this day would never come."

Gaster nodded, slowly. "I understand perfectly your highness. I too, will prepare for the return to the surface. No doubt the environment will have changed, we will need to find out what is new. When...will you tell the people?"

Asriel shook his head. "I don't know. Tonight I suppose, as good a time as ever."

Gaster nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. "I understand. If there is nothing else, I will make my leave. The souls seem fine to wait another night."

Asriel's voice stopped him on his way out. "Gaster...you've been a good friend all these years. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me."

Gaster paused. "It's...been an honor. Your highness." With this, he was gone. Asriel walked up the stairs, and to Undyne. He gave the order as he passed her.

"Gather the people. Tonight, we tell them the news."


	2. Invasion

The people were already silent as Asriel stepped out over the balcony, overlooking the many monsters in the kingdom. There had been no prepared speech, but he had to deliver the news anyway.

"Today...marks a special day." Asriel began. "A day, where we begin anew. A day of hope. Earlier today...another human fell into the Underground." The monsters murmured expectantly. "This human, has offered their soul. I am joyous to announce, that we have collected, the seven human souls we need to break the barrier!" There was an immediate roar from the crowd. A roar of glee.

"The barrier, the barrier that has kept us trapped for so long, will fall tomorrow at dawn! We will make our return to the surface, WE WILL FINALLY, BE FREE!" Asriel felt a rush go through him as he spoke, surveying the many faces of solemn joy. With nothing left to say, Asriel disappeared once more into the palace. He slowly walked to the throne room, stopping as he entered. There, standing in the middle of the room, was an old friend. The skeleton turned around as Asriel entered.

"hey az. bit of a short speech there than normal, dontcha think?"

Asriel sighed. "There wasn't a lot to say I suppose. What brings you here? You don't usually visit the capitol."

Sans shrugged in response. "are you saying you want me to visit more? i think you ought to be careful to not be 'thro-ne' around requests like that.. besides, i kinda wanted to see what the fuss was all about. you haven't called everyone together like this in decades so i thought it must've been important. looks like i was right."

Asriel sat down in the throne, looking into Sans' eyes. "If you're still worried about Papyrus, he's alright. He's been handling his position in the guard very well. Same as the last time you asked."

Sans shook his head. "gonna be honest your highness, i think i'm more worried about you."

Asriel scoffed jokingly at the idea. "Why would you be worried about me? I'm a king in case you've forgotten. Now, I'm a king that will have the power of seven human souls inside of me. If anything, I should be the least of your worries."

Sans shook his head again. "az, hear me out. a lot of people when they get into power...they always say they'll do the right thing. sometimes though, the right thing comes at a cost. and sometimes, those people end up forgetting what the right thing is."

Asriel cocked his head. "What are you saying?"

Sans sighed. "think about what you've done, and what you want to do. you've collected the seven human souls. you say you'll break the barrier, and free us all. you'll restore the old kingdom. but then what? i hardly believe that would be just that."

Asriel was growing more confused by the minute. "I fail to see your point Sans…"

Sans sighed, turning around. "come on az. you say all you want to do is give us what we lost, but i see that's not everything. i can see it in your soul. you carry a very deep resentment towards humans for what they've done. you do a good job of hiding it, but i know you better than most. i can see it in your eyes. i think you don't want 'justice'...you want vengeance. the problem is, vengeance rarely deals out the same that was given. consider what has already happened. did those children really 'have' to die?"

Asriel was dead silent, Sans's words taking any thoughts he had and casting them off to the wind. Not hearing a response, Sans began to make for the door. Before he reached it though, he spoke over his shoulder.

"...Az. when you absorb the human souls...don't forget what you're fighting for. don't forget who you are."

Asriel looked up at Sans, but he was already gone. He sighed, sitting back in the throne. His back tingled at his words. He turned back to the window and gazed out at the capitol beyond the garden. The day had come at last. There was a war to be won.

_**THE NEXT DAY…**_

Asriel slowly walked down the stairs to where the seven containment pods held the souls of the humans. He didn't so much as glance to the coffins as he slowly unlocked each pod, one by one. He approached the souls, and grunted as he started to absorb them, one by one.

He groaned inwardly as he felt the power of the souls begin to affect him almost immediately. The power of the souls was so immense, it was almost overwhelming. He grunted as he fought against the slight pain, then slowly stood up straight. It was done. He felt fresh. Young. As if he had been reborn. Taking a breath, he quickly made his way up the stairs.

Undyne was already waiting with the entirety of the royal guard by the barrier. There had been complete silence among them as they waited for Asriel to appear. Undyne looked up as he entered the room, and almost shivered. Asriel's eyes had turned into a black that almost seemed to want to swallow you, with white pupils. He even seemed to be a bit bigger, and his horns seemed sharper.

Asriel walked past the soldiers, and they all held their breath with awe as he let one of his hands begin to glow. There was a bright, blinding light that seemed to be coming from Asriel himself, as he gave a fierce roar, letting a wave of magic fly at the barrier. There seemed to be an invisible wave that pushed the soldiers back as the sound was deafening. When the dust cleared, they looked up, some coughing. It took a moment for them to realize, that the barrier was no more. Asriel didn't speak, simply walking up and to the surface. Undyne joined him moments later. She breathed out as she stared over the landscape.

"It's...It's more beautiful than I could imagine…"

Asriel's face was still grim, though Undyne could see a look in his eyes, as though recalling on past memories. It was not uncommon knowledge that Asriel had after all been alive when they had been driven underground, as such, for Asriel it was almost like returning home. He stared at some smoke coming from what looked like a cluster of buildings near the base of the mountain.

"Come." Asriel commanded. "We must strike first before they have time to react." Undyne quickly gathered herself, nodding. She gruffly spoke to the soldiers.

"You heard King Asriel, now let's move!" Immediately they fell into a two by two formation behind Asriel. He led them down the trails he had walked all those centuries ago, through the forest that seemed to be much smaller than when he had left it. The sun had just been breaking over the mountains when they left the Underground. Now, it was slowly rising higher in the sky. As Asriel approached the village, he straightened himself, looking as big as possible. With cold determination, he walked a few steps ahead of Undyne, and into the village.

The village had just been beginning to wake, so there weren't many people outside. However, it didn't take very long for the humans to notice their presence. Mere seconds in fact. A scream rang out from a woman close by as she stared in pure terror. She proceeded to quickly shoo her children inside as Asriel slowly walked up the street. Another villager, a young man, seemed to be paralyzed in fear. Asriel slowly approached him, and asked with a chillingly calm voice.

"Where is the leader of this village…" The man with a shaky finger pointed towards one end of the village. Asriel continued to move on. Many humans were quick to slam their doors and windows shut, but he could still here their fearful conversations from within their homes.

As he approached a larger building which is where the village head must live, a line of men quickly formed outside. Each of them were carrying Muskets. Asriel was partially familiar with the weapon, as some small firearms had fallen into the garbage dump from the surface. Humans had a habit of dropping things. These though, were much larger, and Asriel assumed, much more deadly as well. He stopped a short ways away, the soldiers fanning out in a line behind him. Asriel called out loudly at the men.

"I wish to speak to your leader!"

A lone man stepped out of the house. He looked to be middle aged, with a similar gruff, stern face as Asgore's.

"Why should I speak to a monster like you? Where did you come from demon?"

Asriel didn't answer his second question, but was more than happy to answer the first. "If you come and speak with me, then I will have no need to burn this village to the ground." The man stiffened, but seemed to get the message.

"Very well, you have my attention, beast. Speak."

Asriel stared unflinchingly at the man. "My name is King Asriel Dreemurr. Centuries ago you humans drove us from our homes in an unjust war, and trapped us beneath Mount Ebott. We have broken free, and I am leading my people in reclaiming what is rightfully ours. You and the other villagers, have one hour to vacate this village."

The man scoffed. "Or what? You think I believe any of this bull?"

Asriel's eyes seemed to darken further as one hand tightened into a fist. "If you do not, I will kill each and every one of you myself."

By now several villagers had appeared from their homes, or were standing at the windows, watching the conversation. One of the men with a gun stepped forward, staring bravely at him.

"You don't scare us, beast! We demand that you leave at once, or face death!" He raised the barrel of his musket so it pointed at Asriel. Undyne started to approach, but Asriel waved her back, smirking.

"I would like to see you try, human."

The man pulled the trigger on the musket. The very instant his finger twitched, Asriel instantly raised his arm up, a protective wall of fire appearing in front of him. The bullet from the musket was turned into dust instantly from the fire. He let the wall fall, revealing the humans bewildered look. It quickly turned though into anger. He yelled as he charged at Asriel, the bayonet on the end of the musket aimed at Asriel's heart.

Before he got close, Asriel whipped out his sword, slashing it up. The man's hand fell to the ground, and another slash sent him stumbling, a gash in his stomach. With his other hand, Asriel waved toward the man, and a whirlwind of fire seemed to rush from the ground, engulfing him. He screamed in agony for only a second, before collapsing, dead, his remains still burning on the ground. Asriel whipped around at the other men. Some had dropped their muskets in pure terror, fear blazing in everyone's eyes. Even Undyne was somewhat shocked by the brutal kill. Asriel roared.

"Anyone else?!" When he was greeted with silence, he growled. "You have one hour." Immediately, the humans ran to begin leaving the village. The leader had no words. Undyne slowly approached as they watched the humans run around.

"Was...all that really necessary your highness? I want to kill these punk humans as much as you, but that seemed like a little overkill, didn't it?"

Asriel scoffed. "Humans know nothing about peace. The only way to drive a point home, is through a show of force. These humans now know they stand no chance. They will leave." Undyne nodded slightly, continuing to watch the evacuation unfold.


	3. Hidden Records

The gravel crunched beneath Jonathan's feet as he made his way down the trail that lead to the lonely village. The last day had definitely be an interesting one. The population of an entire village had shown up at the capitol in the middle of the night, looking like they had seen ghosts. One of the villagers had said that an army of monsters had driven them from their homes. He still laughed at the thought of it, but every villager had said the same thing. To be on the safe side, the king had requested that he go and take a look. Jonathan was one of the few noblemen within the nation.

With him was a company of just two dozen soldiers. Both Jonathan and the king had agreed that it was likely the villagers making a much larger deal out of something that was probably next to nothing.

As he continued to walk, he could see the smoke from the village and frowned. Clearly there was somebody, or something, still active in the village. He picked up the pace just slightly. He then froze as a figure clad in metal armor stepped from behind a tree, blocking the path.

The figure wore a helmet with a truly unnerving design. As he began to raise the flintlock pistol he kept on his person, the figure raised a hand, and a spear instantly appeared in front of him, aimed right at his throat. He was shocked when he saw it hovering. More spears had appeared, each with a slight glow blue, and were aimed at the company. Then, the figure spoke.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. One move, and you'll be dead before you can pull the trigger." Gulping, Jonathan met the figure's gaze, slowly lifting his hands up in the air. The rest of the men in the company followed suit. The monster growled.

"State your business, human."

Jonathan spoke calmly, though he was already feeling nervous. "My name is Jonathan...my company and I were here to investigate reports that monsters had taken over a local village."

The monster chuckled. "Word travels fast doesn't it...and what were you planning on doing if these rumors were true?"

Jonathan replied. "Well, I suppose to try and figure out how to make peace…"

The monster scoffed. "By approaching in numbers, heavily armed. You humans have an interesting way of showing you want peace. If you desire, I can take you to our king. He expected something like this would happen."

Jonathan cleared his throat. "This would be preferable."

The monster waved her hand. "Come with me. But, only you. Your men must stay behind. If I see even one of them start to follow us, I'll kill you myself."

Jonathan nodded slowly, lowering his hands. "Understood." The monster kept the spear aimed at Jonathan as she began leading the way to the village. He looked around, taking in the sight as he walked through the small streets.

There were monsters of all kinds everywhere. It seemed like there were several families. As he entered the village, many of them looked up at him with great distrust and disdain. He was mystified as to what could cause them to be so angry. Then again, they were monsters. Perhaps they only thought bad of humans. The spear disappeared as Undyne entered the house where the previous leader had lived. Inside, he saw another monster, a fair bit bigger. As the monster turned to face him, his escort removed her helmet, giving a salute. The monster was blue, and resembled a fish. She was missing an eye.

"King Asriel, the humans sent one of their own to investigate. As you predicted, he was armed. He came with others, they've stayed behind."

The goat monster, Asriel, nodded. "Very well Captain Undyne. Leave us." Undyne put her helmet back on and stepped just outside. Asriel stared down at the human with his black eyes, causing a shiver to run down Jonathan's back. He stared up at Asriel, who simply beckoned for him to follow him. They went into the kitchen, sitting down at the table across from each other. Asriel spoke first.

"So, human...what is your name?"

"Jonathan." He replied, almost timidly. The size of Asriel was intimidating. Asriel nodded.

"I see. I've been told, as you know, that you came to investigate what happened in this village."

Jonathan tried to meet his eyes. "That's correct...your majesty. The people that lived here are extremely frightened, some are even saying you killed a man."

Asriel growled slightly. "They are not wrong."

Jonathan tried to hide his growing unease. "I have to ask, why did you take over this village? More importantly, where did you come from?"

Asriel looked down at him. "We were once a great kingdom that lived on the surface with you humans. One day, you all attacked us. The war was short, but brutal. My father was killed in the war. You drove us underground, trapping us beneath Mount Ebott. We've been stuck in that dark world for centuries. Now that we have broken free at last, we plan on reclaiming our old kingdom. Through force if necessary."

Jonathan took a deep breath. It was a lot to take in. "Alright...well, I may be able to assist. You say you wish to reclaim land you lost in this, war. Is there a map somewhere that would show the boundaries?" Asriel stood up and walked to a nearby drawer. He pulled out a large sheet of paper, unrolling it on the table. On the paper was a map of the entire human kingdom. Asriel outlined with a claw a large chunk, nearly a third of it.

"This is what we have lost. You say you can get it back for us?"

Jonathan could feel a drop of sweat forming on his forehead.

"W-Well, not exactly...you see, that's such a large piece of land, and I doubt I would be able to-"

He flinched as Asriel slammed a fist on the table, shouting in his face. "A LARGE CHUNK OF LAND THAT DOES NOT RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO YOU!"

Jonathan felt his heart slamming against his ribcage as he tried to meet Asriel's furious gaze.

"I-I'm sorry! B-But these th-things have to take time, and I d-doubt that the k-king would accept such a p-proposal…"

He trailed off as Asriel spoke again. "The king...you mean to tell me, that you come here, as an errand boy?"

Jonathan had no words as Asriel continued to growl.

"You tell your 'king'..." He spat the word king, with a chilling amount of disdain. "If he wants peace, he will need to speak to me, face to face. If you will not give us the land peacefully, we will force our way through. NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Jonathan quickly stood up, nodding.

"O-Of course your majesty, I w-will deliver the word a-at once."

He quickly left Asriel, who sat back down at the table, growling annoyedly. Undyne walked in a moment later.

"There's not nearly enough homes in the village for everybody, we'll need more."

Asriel growled. "There's another town I spotted about four hours walk west. If we hear nothing within a day, we will march on the human's settlement."

Undyne nodded. Outside, Jonathan was quick to return to the company of men who were anxiously waiting for him. They took note of the fresh fear in his eyes.

"Come, quickly. We must report back to the king."

**_LATER…_**

Jonathan found himself quickly rushing into the castle of King Lucas Bronson. King Lucas looked up at Jonathan as he entered.

"Ah, welcome back Jonathan. So, what did you find at the village?"

Jonathan was breathless as he replied. "The...The rumors sire...they're true! Monsters did take over the village, I spoke to their king myself!"

Lucas looked down, a puzzled look on his face. "I see. Well, did you find why they took over the village?"

Jonathan nodded. "They claim that we imprisoned them under Mount Ebott for centuries, and they used to have a kingdom on the surface. Their king says that he's reclaiming what is theirs."

Lucas frowned. "That's impossible. Surely if such a war had occurred, I would have known about it!"

Jonathan looked up at Jonathan. "It was centuries ago...perhaps the rulers of that time wanted the war to be forgotten?"

Lucas was silent, then commanded. "Send for the best historians in the kingdom. I want to know everything there is on this 'war.' The more we know about it, the more it shall assist us in figuring out what it is these monsters want."

Jonathan nodded and bowed before leaving the room. That same day four of the greatest historians in the kingdom had received their orders from Lucas. They scrounged the old archives for hours.

The searches revealed more than they had ever expected. One of the historians discovered that stories of these monsters had been passed down from generation to generation. Each version of the story growing more and more vague with time, as stories often do. Eventually, even the mention of monsters faded, leaving only the tale of a cursed mountain, where if you climb it, you were never to be seen again.

Another discovered, however, that the monsters were not the beasts the stories made them out to be. At one point, the two kingdoms had even shared friendly relations with one another, even having a trade route open between them, of which various goods traveled along. The historians were all puzzled by the conflicting records, some depicting monsters to be friendly, others to go so far as to call them demons from the underworld.

Even as the sun set below the mountains, they still continued deep into the early morning. At last, one of the historians found what he was looking for. His blood chilled as he read over the record in his hands, the puzzling pieces beginning to click into place. Immediately, he rushed back to Lucas, bowing as he entered.

"My liege, I've discovered what I believe you are looking for."

Lucas nodded at the historian. "Well, state your findings."

The historian read from the record he had found. "The war between humans and monsters. It says here that the war was quick, not lasting more than two weeks. The monsters, despite their military, were incredibly weak. Human casualties were few in comparison. The monsters tried to hide within the caves of Mount Ebott. To avoid having to fight in the dark of the caves where monsters would have the upper hand, King Berinon, the ruler at the time, had the seven grand wizards seal the monsters forever beneath the surface with a magic barrier."

Lucas still wasn't satisfied. "Does it say why the war started? Did the monsters attack us?"

The historian shook his head. "No your majesty. As a matter of fact, it was humans that struck first. There's quite a bit in here talking about 'soul power'. Apparently, the souls of a monster are incredibly weak in comparison that of a human, like you or myself. A monster however, can absorb a human soul and become incredibly powerful. The citizens of the old kingdom were afraid that the monsters would use this power against them, so they decided to attack before they could think of the idea."

Lucas frowned. "This doesn't make any sense. If the monsters were sealed underground forever by these 'wizards'...how could they have possibly escaped? Not to mention from what the villagers have said, their king certainly doesn't seem weak. There's something not adding up...does it say where these 'wizards' are now?"

The historian quickly skimmed through the rest of the archive, only finding a little text near the end.

"It says after the war, the wizards have isolated themselves in another mountain close to Mount Ebott. It appears they have not been seen since."

Lucas nodded. "Thank you, you are dismissed." The historian nodded and left the room. Lucas turned to the commander standing beside the throne as he always did.

"Send a small company of our best soldiers to this mountain. If these so called wizards are still there, bring them to me. I want answers."

The commander nodded and left to fulfill his orders. Lucas rested his head in his hand, shaking his head, his confusion ever increasing.


	4. Answers

Asriel gazed out at the town a short ways away. A slight breeze fluttered through the air as he stood atop the grassy hill overlooking the valley below. There was one town that would be within a few hours walking distance, and he could see a third just on the horizon. He took a breath of the crisp dawn air, and one of his ears twitched as he heard a voice called.

"King Asriel! Your highness!" He looked over his shoulder, spotting Gaster frantically running up the hill, with an excited expression on his face. Asriel looked back over the valley.

"Good morning Doctor Gaster...anything I can do for you?"

Gaster waved a small device in the air. "I've...I've found out something I think you should see."

He held out the device to Asriel, who accepted it and stared at the unfamiliar readings. "What am I looking at?"

Gaster cleared his throat, trying to explain. "I've been running several tests on the environment surrounding Mount Ebott since we've escaped, trying to see how the environment has changed, and if we can detect any other traces of magic."

Asriel nodded. "Yes, I remember you telling me about this."

Gaster continued. "At first, I found nothing of note. However, when I did a test slightly north of the village, I found an unusual amount of magic." He pointed to a spike in the readings. "It would appear that the humans do indeed possess magic, but I do not know of how much."

Asriel stiffened, his grip on the device tightening. "Do you think it's...the humans that sealed us below ground?"

Gaster folded his hands behind his back. "One might assume so. It's been the only trace of magic I have been able to find since we've returned to the surface. It might be worth taking a look at."

Asriel nodded, then looked out over the town below. The royal guard was poised, waiting for Asriel's command to begin the invasion. He handed the device back to Gaster.

"Find Captain Undyne at once. Tell her to pull back the royal guard from the village. If the humans do possess magic, I want to know to what extent they can use it. I will investigate this myself."

Gaster nodded, but seemed hesitant. "By yourself? Pardon me, but doesn't that seem a little dangerous?"

Asriel turned to Gaster, growling. "That's an order, Gaster."

Gaster found himself caught off guard by the sudden shift in emotions, but still, he nodded again. "As you wish."

_**MEANWHILE…**_

Lucas paced back and forth in his chambers, a mixture of thoughts racing through his mind as he recalled the conversation he had with one of the wizards from the night before. He still shook his head, feeling more disturbed if anything.

"I need answers. About the monsters we apparently sealed beneath Mount Ebott hundreds of years ago." Had been Lucas's question to the wizard, who had come alone. The others had stayed behind. The wizard had stared into his eyes, answering in a smooth tone.

"Ah yes, the ancient war. Tell me, what do you desire to know?"

Lucas had responded. "Frankly, I want to know how the monsters are free. The records say that they were sealed forever, and that they were incredibly weak. So how in God's name did they manage to break out and take over a village in one hour?"

The wizard had of all things, chuckled at the question. For why, Lucas did not know.

"The barrier was always able to be broken. The monsters required seven human souls though to be able to destroy it, or soul power equivalent to that of seven souls. However, since a monster's soul is incredibly weak…"

Lucas had frowned. "The monsters somehow collected seven souls…so, what exactly happens when a monster absorbs a human soul?"

The wizard had been prepared for the question, as he answered immediately. "With a single human soul, that monster would be turned into a very powerful being. However, with seven souls...the monster would not just be powerful, they would very nearly be godlike. Almost nothing would be able to stop them."

Lucas dragged himself back to the present. The problem lay in those final remarks. If this monster king was really as strong as the wizard said he would be, it could quite possibly mean the end of his kingdom, even the end of humanity as a whole. Something would need to be done, and fast. He left his chambers, barking at the commander as he walked by.

"I want soldiers heading to the town of Windgate. It's closest to the village the monsters already control, they'll likely strike there next." The least he could do was slow him down. It would allow him time to try and think of a solution.

**_LATER…_**

Asriel grunted as he climbed the small ridge where the old building sat atop. A slow anger boiled within as he neared his destination. There were questions that needed answering. He entered the large building, looking around. The place seemed abandoned, but he knew this was not so.

He took a moment to gaze around the room, before proceeding down a hall to the right. There, a man walked across his path, holding an open book he appeared to be reading. He paused and looked up from beneath his hood, meeting Asriel's gaze, before going back down.

"So, the king of the monsters comes to visit us at last."

Asriel scowled. "'At last'? Have you been expecting me?"

The man snapped the book shut. "One could say that. Myself and the other grand wizards knew of your escape from the Underground the moment the barrier was destroyed. The great disturbance in the magical balance was felt by us all."

Asriel stared down at him, letting one hand move to the hilt of his sword. The man didn't even look at him before speaking.

"You need not draw your weapon. We have no desire to fight." Asriel didn't trust him, and asked warily.

"Perhaps you would be able to answer a question or two of mine…" The wizard turned down the hall.

"That, of course, depends on the question. Walk with me? We can discuss as we move."

Asriel kept his hand close to the blade as he walked beside the wizard.

"Why did you seal us below the surface? Why not just, kill us? It's what the rest of the humans wanted to do anyway…"

The wizard answered with a question. "Well, who's to say the old grand wizards weren't trying to kill you? Humans didn't want to lose more men fighting in the caves, so they ordered the grand wizards to seal you underground, intending on starving you to death. Clearly though, this has failed."

Asriel nodded slightly. "Are you the only wizard that is left? This place looks deserted."

The wizard shook his head. "No. The others are off, likely meditating somewhere. We are however, few in numbers."

Asriel nodded, and the wizard continued. "Now, would you mind if I asked you a question or two? It seems only fair after all."

Asriel grunted. "Go ahead."

"When you came here, did you have the intention on killing us?" The question somewhat surprised Asriel, but he managed to answer.

"To tell the truth, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. But, if it has to be a yes or no answer, then yes, I did have the intention. The wizards sealed us underground for centuries There were times when I considered it might have been more merciful just to have finished us off."

The wizard nodded slowly. "The humans that were alive back then were very different than the ones that live now. You do know this, do you not?"

Asriel grunted again. "You can't fool me. I know that humans can't change."

The wizard paused and looked up at Asriel, who stared back at him. The wizard then responded.

"Interesting words. I can tell there is something deeper though behind that phrase. If you claim to 'know' humans can't change, that means surely you would have evidence. So tell me, is there perhaps...personal reasons that drive you?"

Asriel looked away, continuing to walk with the wizard. After not receiving an answer, the wizard asked.

"What became of their bodies? The ones of the seven humans?"

Now it was Asriel's turn to freeze as he exclaimed. "You know about the souls?"

The wizard chuckled. "You seem to forget that we know of what it takes to break the barrier. We are also aware that over the course of the past centuries, a total of seven human children went missing on the mountain. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened to them, especially now that we are speaking face to face."

Asriel blinked once. "Their bodies have been properly taken care of."

The wizard continued to speak. "I see...will you at least try and make peace? The king certainly does not want war. I doubt there are many humans that do."

Asriel scoffed. "I don't believe you. All humans know about is war, and how to wage it. My family tried to make peace, and we ended up beneath a mountain for centuries. It's time for humans to experience the fear that we felt. The pain that we had to endure."

The wizard nodded. "Ahh, an eye for an eye it is then, hmm? Revenge, can often be a tricky thing, king of monsters. Now, ask yourself this. If you truly believe what you say, that all humans deserve to feel how your people have felt, does this truly include everyone? Do you mean every man, every woman, every child? Many humans have done nothing to harm you. They are innocent, with no blood on their hands. So if you bring harm to them...are you really any better than the humans that wronged you all those centuries ago?"

Asriel turned around, beginning to leave. "This has been an…'interesting' conversation."

The wizard spoke after him. "Indeed."

With the one word, Asriel left the building, casting one more cold look over his shoulder. As he began to descend, he felt the smallest of pinches in his chest, from what he couldn't guess. He continued his trek down the ridge towards the village.


	5. Windgate

Asriel walked through the trees, Undyne and the other soldiers of the royal guard following close behind. Upon Asriel's return to the camp, he had ordered them to move out at once, having discovered that the wizards likely would not pose a threat. Now, they made their way through the forests, moving towards the nearby town.

Asriel raised a hand, crouching by one of the bushes. The other soldiers hung back as Undyne crouched beside Asriel, looking out. There was a small stretch of open land between them and the town. He could see small lines of soldiers standing between them and the village, Asriel kept out of sight.

"Captain, you said they have one shot, and it would be some time before they can fire again. Do I have that right?"

Undyne nodded, speaking in the same hushed voice. "Yes King Asriel." Undyne had taken the musket dropped by the man Asriel had killed, and had been doing some experiments of her own, and made the crucial discovery.

"Right. I'll make sure they'll use those shots on me. Keep the others back until I deliver the order."

Undyne slipped her helmet on. "Right away King Asriel." She moved off to position the others. Asriel stood up and walked out of the treeline, staring down at the lines of the soldiers. The moment they saw him, they raised their muskets threateningly, all of them aimed straight at Asriel. He searched their eyes, and spotted the unease in all of them. He even noticed a few of the soldiers rifles were shaking ever slightly. Asriel called out to them.

"I give you one chance, humans! Lay down your arms at once. Abandon the town. Or face death!"

He took note that none of the soldiers lowered their weapons. He let a small flame boil in his hand as the soldiers stared him down. One of the soldiers, stepped forward. This must be the leader of the small line of defense. He shouted back.

"You will take this village, only over my dead body!"

Asriel found himself letting out a small chuckle. "Very well, human."

The human flicked his wrist, and the front line of soldiers fired upon Asriel. Like in the village, he instantly summoned a wall of fire that disintegrated the bullets.

"FORWARD!" Behind him the other monsters let out cries of war as they appeared from the treeline. He saw the unease in the humans eyes turn to pure terror as they saw what greeted them.

The front line of soldiers charged forward, bayonets poised. Asriel drew his sword in his right hand, a fireball kindling in the left. Undyne summoned several spears, other monsters summoning their own weapons as they met the humans in the center of the clearing.

As the first soldier reached Asriel's range, he threw the fireball, and it slammed against the human, sending him flying back with a small explosion. He turned to the next closest soldier, driving his sword through the soldiers stomach.

He glanced around as several monsters engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the humans. Seeing one of the monsters struggling, Asriel launched another fireball, setting the human ablaze. He screamed in agony as he collapsed, the monster giving Asriel another nod of thanks before turning to the other.

He then saw the first human that had called to him just moments earlier. The human charged towards Asriel with a yell. Before he could attack Asriel with his bayonet, Asriel lit his own hand up with fire, grabbing a blunt part of the musket and directing it away. He then gave a fiery punch to the human, sending him stumbling onto his back. He looked down at the human, then stabbed him through the heart. He looked around as the other humans slowly fell. He pulled his sword from the body, pointing to the town.

"The other cowards retreated into the town. Find them. Search every house. Kill anybody that shows resistance." The monsters entered the town. Asriel walked up the center of the dirt road as one by one pairs of monsters broke off, beginning to kick doors down of the various homes, killing the remaining soldiers one by one as they slowly forced their way through the town.

Within the hour, the remaining soldiers had been killed, and the civilians were given the evacuation order. Asriel sighed as he looked out towards the forest surrounding the town. Undyne joined him.

"The last of the civilians have left your highness."

Asriel nodded. "Good. You can begin to move more families into their new homes on the surface."

Undyne smiled. "Of course. Oh, if I may ask, what is the plan now?"

Asriel thought for a second. "We see how the humans react. I think I'll go for a walk, clear my mind."

Undyne nodded. "Very well. I'll get started on moving the families at once."

She turned and walked away. Asriel stared towards the trees for another brief moment before walking into the forest. He continued walking until there was no sound but the sounds of the world. Here, there was no sound of footsteps, only the sweet melody of birdsong, the rustling leaves in the gentle breeze, a single cricket chirping nearby. Asriel took a deep breath, closing his eyes. It had been so long since he had been able to feel such tranquility.

He jumped as he heard a sudden crunch of a twig. He let a fireball rapidly burn in his hand as he spun around. He sighed and immediately let the fireball extinguish as he saw a child staring in awe at him from behind a tree. He wasn't sure what to do. The little girl, thankfully asked a question.

"Uh...are you a monster?"

Asriel nodded slowly. "I suppose I am." The child slowly appeared from behind the trees. "I thought monsters were supposed to be scary. You just look kind of strange."

Asriel couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. He may despise humans, but children would always be children. The child asked another question. "What's your name?"

Asriel smiled. "My name's Asriel. What's your name little one?"

The child smiled again and approached Asriel, who crouched down to her eye level. "My name's Frisk."

Asriel nodded. "Frisk, huh? Sounds like a nice name...where are your parents?"

Frisk pointed towards the town. "Home. I'm just out here exploring."

Asriel smiled a bit wider. "Ah, an explorer hmm?"

Frisk nodded excitedly. "Uh huh! I've explored the whoooole woods!"

Asriel chuckled again. "I bet you have." He couldn't help but be reminded of himself when he was younger.

"Why don't we get you back to your parents, hmm? They might get worried about you."

Frisk looked crestfallen. "Aww, alright. I guess."

Asriel held out his hand. "Chin up, I'm sure you will get to explore more later." Frisk accepted Asriel's hand, who began to lead her through the trees in the direction the humans had gone. The child asked as they walked.

"What's it like being a monster? It sounds really cool!"

Asriel shrugged. "It has its moments I suppose...it can be quite difficult though, being so different."

Frisk tipped her head. "I like you being different. You look so cool!"

Asriel nodded slightly, the smile wavering just slightly. A majority of the walk was in silence as Asriel led her down the trails. Soon, the humans still walking away from the town came into sight. Asriel stepped onto the larger trail. One of the women looked up, letting out a startled shout as she saw him.

She then saw the child with him, looking up at Asriel. One of the men started to break from the group, looking like he wanted to try and kill Asriel on the spot. Asriel let go of Frisk's hand, allowing her to run gleefully towards her parents. The man stopped, staring at Asriel in confusion. The woman that Frisk ran to, also looked equally confused. Asriel said nothing, just gave a firm nod to the Frisk's parents before he turned, walking back into the trees.


	6. Chesterfield

Days passed, stretching on into a week. On the two sides, two very different mentalities were locked in a proverbial game of chess. One one side, Asriel, trying to find out how strong the humans military truly was, and what their weak spots were. On the other side, Lucas, trying to find a way to defend against Asriel's brutal attacks, and find out where he would strike next. Neither side had dared make another move since the fall of Windgate. Both of them were waiting for the other to strike first.

Asriel stared down at the map of the kingdom in front of him, tapping one finger against the table as he racked his brain, trying to think of how to proceed. He looked up as Undyne approached.

"Your majesty, there's a human messenger that requests an audience with you. He says he brings an urgent message from King Lucas Bronson."

Asriel stood up, walking outside with Undyne. The messenger looked like he had just left his teens into his young adulthood. He stared up at Asriel, who immediately spotted the tense look on his face.

"Speak."

The messenger nodded, holding a piece of paper to read from as he spoke.

"His majesty, King Lucas Bronson requests a meeting with King Asriel Dreemurr. The purpose of this meeting is to open up negotiations for peace. The location of the meeting will be in the grand hall, which stands at the center of the peaceful town of Chesterfield. The time of meeting will be tomorrow at noon. He states that if you come, that you come without your armies. He vows to do the same."

Asriel looked down slightly, considering his options. This was an unexpected move to say the very least. He would humor the king for now. He looked down at the messenger.

"Tell King Lucas that I accept his offer, and he should expect to see me there." As the messenger took off, Asriel turned to Undyne.

"Have a small force standing by just in case. I don't trust these humans. I want you yourself though to stay here. It could be a trick to get me away from the town, making this place an easy target."

Undyne nodded, giving a short salute. "Right away King Asriel."

_**THE NEXT DAY…**_

Heads once more turned to Asriel, some with fear, others with disdain, others with curiosity as he walked through the streets of Chesterfield. He met none of the humans gazes as he kept his eyes focused on the grand hall ahead of him. He walked up the steps, walking into the building. Immediately inside, a marble table had been set up with chairs sitting on either side.

Lucas was already there, looking up at Asriel. He had only ever heard what he had been told, but had never thought Asriel would be as intimidating as they made him out to be. The most unnerving thing was the black eyes that looked like they wanted to swallow you. He motioned to the chair across from him.

"King Asriel I presume? Please, have a seat. I have come alone, as promised."

Asriel cautiously sat down, staring coldly at Lucas. "Let's just get the point."

Lucas cleared his throat. "Yes, of course. As you are probably aware, I am anxious to try and negotiate peace between our two kinds. I have been briefed of the war that occurred centuries ago. I assure you, the last thing I want is for history to repeat itself."

Asriel stared him down. "Do you say that because of who we are? Or because we are now strong enough to win the war?"

Lucas didn't answer immediately. There truly was no correct answer to such a question. Asriel continued.

"I have not seen much evidence that you humans want to make peace. Your technology has developed greatly since the first war, and I see much of your new technology has been used for combat purposes. Not exactly a sign of peace, don't you agree?"

Lucas nodded. "I understand your concerns. I cannot overstate my desire to make peace with you and your people. What I am interested to know of, is your terms for peace."

Asriel rested his hands on the table. "I want to see all land that monsters lost during the war returned to us. Furthermore, I want to see all members of your military moved to outside fifty miles of the borders, as well as a pact that would ensure that a war would not happen again."

Lucas sighed. "I can meet your request for the pact, as well as moving the military outside of the range you are requesting. But, the problem comes in the amount of territory you are requesting. I simply can not give you all the land, it would be next to impossible."

Asriel growled. "Explain."

Lucas took a deep breath. "The land has been a part of the kingdom for centuries by now. The population has grown, and there are hundreds of thousands of humans living in cities and villages all throughout the territory you are requesting. To give you this land would mean having to find all those people new places to live, but the kingdom just doesn't have the room to do so. I can give you a smaller piece of land for your kingdom, and we could try and secure more for you in the future…"

Asriel shook his head. "If the demands are all not met in full, there will be no peace. These are non-negotiable terms. We will continue to take settlements by force either until our demands are met, or until we take back the land ourselves."

With this, he stood up abruptly and walked out of the hall. Lucas cursed at himself, frustrated that he couldn't have done more. Outside, Asriel met with the small group of monster soldiers waiting a short ways outside of Chesterfield.

The trip back to the town was quiet, but Asriel picked up commotion coming from Windgate as they neared the town. He frowned as he saw what was happening. Undyne was trying to control a strange man. The man was looking anxious, yet he looked to be in his late adulthood as well.

"Where is he, fish lady? Where is the goat king?" Undyne groaned as she tried to explain again.

"For the last time, he's not AVAILABLE right now!"

Asriel approached the pair. "What's going on here?"

The man brightened up the second he saw Asriel. "Ah! The goat king! I-I have been wanting to speak to you ever since you left the mountain!"

Asriel was confused. "Uh...and who are you?"

The man answered enthusiastically. "Why, I'm Reinald of course! I'm one of the grand wizards you paid a visit to yesterday."

Undyne spoke up. "I've already searched him sire, he's completely unarmed."

Asriel nodded. "Thank you Undyne. So Reinald...what is the purpose of your visit?"

Reinald said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Why, to talk to you of course!"

Asriel waited for more, but there was no other words. "Ok...well, what do you want to discuss?"

Reinald smiled. He almost looked like a little kid with a brand new toy. "I have so many questions about you, your people, your way of life, everything! It's so prodigiously fascinating to me!"

Asriel sighed. "I...I see. Reinald, it's been an…'interesting' day for me...I would much rather have this discussion at another time, yes?"

Reinald seemed to understand. "Of course your highness. I will return at a later date."

With this, he spun on his heel, walking away. Undyne looked incredulously over to Asriel. "What was THAT all about?"

Asriel shook his head. "I haven't the faintest idea."

Undyne watched him go, then asked. "What did King Lucas have to say?"

Asriel scoffed. "He wanted peace. Yet, he was unwilling to grant us what we rightfully deserve. I want you to send more scouts out, search out another town. It would seem we need to put some pressure on King Lucas before he will see reason."

Undyne smiled, liking the idea. "I'll get started at once."


	7. Burning Skies

Another week passed, with no military action from either side. Asriel, finally grew tired of waiting. The scouts Undyne had sent out reported a town closer to Windgate than the city of Chesterfield. It looked seemingly undefended, making it a perfect target. Asriel began setting his sights on the town of Haran.

Now, they marched through the forest, in the late afternoon. Already, the sun was just beginning to set on the western horizon. Soon, Haran came into sight. Asriel stopped the company, turning to face them.

"We will wait for the sun to set, and attack under the cover of the night." And so, the soldiers got themselves comfortable. The minutes ticked on, stretching into the late hours of the evening. The glowing sun slowly submerged itself below the horizon, bathing the sky in a purple glow, and then, the dark blue took over, followed by the black, only broken by the small lights of the stars above. Undyne sat with Asriel, staring up at the twilight through the break in the tree branches.

"You don't get to see sights like this too often." She sighed with a breath of fresh air. Asriel followed her gaze up to the stars.

"Indeed. It's a different kind of beauty, the surface…"

Undyne looked over to him. "Has a lot changed since you…were up here last?"

Asriel didn't break his gaze from the stars. "The trees are so different. Whole forests have been cleared, others have been erected elsewhere. The land itself has changed so much yet…the stars seem to have not moved an inch since I last saw them."

For some time the two of them sat in silence, before Asriel grunted, standing up. "Round up the others, we will begin our attack."

Undyne left to fetch the other members of the guard. When they were all standing, Asriel slowly led them towards Haran. This time, no line of soldiers greeted them outside of the town, allowing them to silently walk into the town. No lights were visible in the windows of the various buildings, and the town was eerily quiet. On the ground was the occasional box or cart. Undyne looked around.

"This place looks deserted…"

Asriel nodded. "Indeed. Perhaps the humans knew we were coming and decided to flee." He continued walking further into the town. You could have heard a pin drop, as the air grew still. Asriel looked around uneasily.

"Something's not right. It's too quiet. Even if the humans have left, there would be more signs of it. Keep everyone close."

Undyne looked around, sharing his sense of unease. While she would be more than happy to accept that the humans had fled, she had learned from experience not to doubt Asriel's instincts. A spear appeared in her hand as Asriel slowly drew his sword cautiously. Something flicked at the edge of his vision, and Asriel stopped short, holding up his hand. The company paused, and he motioned for Undyne to come closer. She complied, and Asriel told her in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't look. The house we just passed on our right, one back. I saw movement in the window."

Undyne's blood ran cold. "Maybe it was just an animal?"

Asriel shook his head. "It was way too big for an animal. No…we are not alone here."

Undyne hissed quietly. "An ambush?"

Asriel nodded. "Likely. And we're walking right into it."

Undyne stole a glance at a house further up the road. "How many do you think there are?"

Asriel looked out of the corner of his eyes at another house. He could just barely see the dark blue of a human military coat, trying to remain hidden in a window.

"I'm not sure. But, they're definitely not civilians. Meaning, they're going to be armed. I'm guessing it could be as big as three platoons."

Undyne nodded slowly. "What are they waiting for?"

Asriel spoke even quieter. "I don't know. That's what worries me. If my prediction is right, we're already surrounded. They might have something else up ahead."

Undyne looked to the road. She couldn't see anything, though that didn't mean there was nothing there. "What do we do?"

Asriel thought for a moment. "Pass this along to the others. When I give the signal, everybody needs to duck for cover. Once they've used up what they've got, we'll do what we did in Windgate. Clear them out, building by building."

Undyne nodded and moved away. She murmured the orders to the other members of the guard who tensed up slightly. When they were ready, Asriel began to slowly walk forward again. He took four steps forward, then struck.

In a lightning fast movement, he summoned a fireball and whipped around, throwing it at the house he had seen the movement from. It flew through the window, exploding just inside. The house began to go up in flames, and the agonized scream of a soldier could be heard from inside. The monsters immediately dove out of the middle of the road, some already entering buildings. Asriel ducked behind a cart as a musket ball slammed into the dirt beside him. Undyne sheltered with him as the sounds of battle exploded from the various buildings. Asriel barked at Undyne.

"I'll take the house two doors up. You take the soldiers, and make sure every last human is dead!"

Undyne nodded, but hesitated when she saw the burning house. The flames jumped violently, and suddenly the rooftop of another building beside it began to light.

"Sire!" She gave his arm a tug, pointing to the second burning building. Asriel growled.

"We'll have to do this quickly. Make sure the humans are dead, then we pull back outside of the town. If it burns, we do not want to be here to burn with it!" Undyne ran off, signalling to three others as she walked to the closest house. Hearing the gunfire cease, Asriel sprinted from behind the cart, moving to the door of the house.

He burst through the door, to see one soldier racing down the stairs. He raised up his sword, slashing it across the soldier's chest, watching him fall. He made his way up the stairs, searching each room. It seemed like the soldier had been alone. As he forced open the last door, a startling sight greeted him. A man held up a shaking rifle, aiming it right at Asriel. Behind him was a terrified looking woman. The man was not wearing military clothing. Asriel growled.

"Don't be a fool." The man pulled the trigger, but his aim was off. The bullet whizzed past, striking the doorframe. Asriel looked at him, and raised his sword.

Outside, the fire was rapidly spreading from building to building, smoke beginning to block out the stars above. Finally, Undyne realized they couldn't afford to stay longer. She shouted to the soldiers that could hear her.

"Pull back! Now!" Hearing the order, the members of the guard began to fall back outside Haran.

Once at a safe distance, they stood to watch as the remaining buildings were lit ablaze. Undyne saw Asriel approaching her soon enough. He had a cold look of fury on his face, and she could see blood on his armour and cheek.

"King Asriel! Are you-"

Asriel stopped her. "It's not mine." Undyne nodded slowly, staring at the town which by now had become a blazing inferno. "There were civilians there…" Asriel looked at Undyne as she spoke. "Farmers just trying to defend their families."

Asriel grunted. "They chose to resist, so they met the same fate. The fools should have known better." Undyne nodded, but still couldn't help but feel the guilt weighing on her. A groan sounded from behind them. Asriel turned around, spotting one of the guard members clutching his side. Undyne walked over, helping him to sit.

"What happened?"

The soldier winced in pain. "I…I think one of the humans got me…" Undyne could see fresh blood oozing from the wound.

"That looks bad. Let's get him back to Windgate as soon as possible. We can get him help there."

The others nodded, and two of the guards chipped in to help him stand and walk. As Asriel began to walk with the others away from the burning town, he suddenly felt a sharp jab of pain in his chest. He stopped, leaning over with a slight grunt. Undyne turned and rushed over to him.

"Are you alright? Are you wounded too?"

Asriel clutched his chest, steadying his breathing for a moment before clearing his throat. "I…I'm fine. I think it was just a cramp."

Undyne still looked concerned. "Are you sure? Maybe we should stop and get you some medicine or—"

Asriel shouted back. "I said I'm FINE!" Undyne jumped slightly, caught off guard. She slowly nodded.

"If you insist your highness…"

The pain had diminished to a very dull ache, but still hadn't completely receded. Asriel stood up straight and continued walking. Before long, they had reached Windgate. As Undyne helped the wounded soldier to a nearby medical building that had been set up, Asriel retired to the larger building where he currently stayed. He grunted as the stabbing pain in his chest returned. He felt around, but felt no blood, no dents in his armour, nothing. He laid back in bed and sighed, closing his eyes.


	8. The Meadow

Asriel gazed around curiously as he re-opened his eyes seemingly moments later. He took in his surroundings as he stood. It was a clear, spring day. There were golden flowers blooming all around the meadow where he stood, soft grass beneath his feet. The trees stood tall, the green seeming to shine as even brighter in the clear sunlight that bathed the meadow.

As he looked around, he noticed a figure standing nearby. Watching him. He nearly broke when he saw who it was. It had been centuries since he had seen the monster in person, but he recognized the clothing, and the white fur anywhere. He slowly approached Toriel, not saying a word.

Her eyes sparked with joy and love at seeing her son. He flung his arms around her, putting his head on her shoulder, a tear running down his cheek as he began to cry. He felt as though he was the same young prince that had been so scared all those years ago. She embraced him as well, and the two clung together for what felt like hours. Asriel didn't want to leave the warmth. Finally, he blinked through his tears, staring in shock at Toriel.

"I-Is...Is this a dream?"

Toriel spoke softly. "Somewhat, yes."

Asriel shook his head slowly. "How...How is this possible…"

Toriel smiled. "Your soul called to me."

Asriel was overwhelmed with emotion as he stared at his long lost mother. But, it didn't take long for the joy to be filled with guilt, and sorrow.

"I'm sorry…"

Toriel tipped her head. "For what, my child?"

Asriel lowered his head in shame. "I should have been there for you. I should have tried to stop her…"

Toriel sighed. "Oh my dear child...you could not have known what Chara's intentions were. Do not blame yourself for what she did."

Asriel's hands tightened into fists as he growled, furious with himself. "I just feel like I could have done more that day! I feel like I've let all of you down!"

Toriel shook her head, patting his shoulder. "You have not let me down at all. I could not be more proud of you. You had to take on the responsibility of an entire kingdom when you were so young. You somehow managed to restore hope in people that had begun to believe there was nothing for them. It is something I feel I never truly managed to do."

Asriel looked up at Toriel sorrowfully. "I wish you could be here...it's so hard, and sometimes I almost question why I've even tried."

Toriel's motherly smile returned. "I believe you have tried because you believe you think you know what the right thing is. Nobody said leading a kingdom is easy. Nobody said fighting a war is easy either."

Asriel's eyes widened. "You know about the war?"

Toriel nodded. "Of course! Which, is one of the things I desire to speak to you about."

Toriel turned, walking along the path. Asriel followed her slowly. Soon, she spoke again.

"I want you to at least...try and give these humans a chance. They are truly trying to make peace, can you not see that?"

Asriel was astonished. "How can you say that, after all they've done to you? To us?! They burned our homes, drove us below ground, they killed Dad, and in case you've forgotten, the one human you took in and showed compassion to, murdered you too!"

Toriel sighed. "That was the past Asriel. The humans can change. They have changed. I have been able to see it myself. Chara, I admit was a…'unique' character. But, there are not a lot of humans like her."

Asriel shook his head firmly. "I'm sorry Mom...but you can't change my mind. All I've been shown my whole life is that humans want nothing but to destroy us. I think it's time to give them what they deserve."

Toriel's smile faded. She felt a sense of sorrow at Asriel's thinking. "Have you forgotten everything I have taught you my son? Look at the last human that fell into the Underground. She did not fight. She did not hurt a single soul. In fact, she offered hers up to you, and yet you still slaughtered her."

Asriel opened his mouth, but shut it when no words came out. Toriel shook her head. "You still have so much to learn Asriel...I do hope that you can learn to open your mind to the possibility that humans have changed."

She stopped, turning to face him. "This is where we must part ways."

Asriel didn't want to leave. "Wait...can I...see you again?"

The smile once more returned to Toriel's face. "We will just have to see, now won't we?"

With this, she began to fade, with the rest of the meadow, leaving Asriel in the dark.

_**IN THE WAKING WORLD…**_

Undyne looked up as Gaster stepped out of the medical building, and immediately approached him.

"How is he?" She inquired, anxious to know of the soldiers condition. Gaster spoke in a firm, yet quiet voice.

"He's stable. But I'm not sure what I can do for him. I've never encountered a wound like his before. These new weapons the humans have could prove more deadly than we thought. I advise using caution from here on out." He was about to leave, but still saw a glimmer in Undyne's eye. "This soldier was not the only reason you summoned me here...is it?"

Undyne rolled her eyes. "Read me like a book doc. It's...It's King Asriel."

Gaster nodded. "And so we find the true reason of my summoning. Was he also wounded?"

Undyne looked uneasy. "I don't know. Look, have you just noticed something...different about him?"

Gaster tipped his head. "I'm afraid you will need to elaborate."

Undyne grunted. "He's just...different. He seems more angry. More willing to...kill. Not to mention, he's freaked out at me a couple times, and he never does that. He wasn't like this before he absorbed the souls. It's almost like he's a different monster entirely."

Gaster frowned, scratching his chin with a bony hand. "I see...you believe the souls could perhaps be...changing him?"

Undyne nodded. "Something like that."

Gaster shrugged. "No being in history has ever absorbed seven human souls. Perhaps this is a simple psychological side effect as his body adjusts."

Undyne still wasn't satisfied. "Maybe. There's something else though. After the battle last night, he doubled over, holding his chest. I did a quick field check, he didn't have any dents or anything in his armour, said it might have just been a cramp. I just...I don't know, there's something not right with him."

Gaster nodded thoughtfully, looking to the ground for a moment before looking back up. "Do me a favor, and keep a close eye on him. As I said, these could be temporary side-effects of the seven souls, and his body adjusting to them. If anything new comes up, or his condition worsens, tell me at once."

Undyne nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

Gaster nodded briefly in response before turning and heading away. Undyne looked to the house just as Asriel appeared. She snapped to attention upon seeing him.

"Good morning King Asriel, feeling better?"

Asriel nodded, though he seemed distracted. "Quite, thank you. How is the wounded soldier doing?"

Undyne searched his eyes. She saw a slight glow, as though he was in deep thought. She also took note of how quickly he changed the subject.

"He'll be alright for now, Doctor Gaster went off to try and see what he can do for him."

Asriel nodded. "Good, good. No doubt King Lucas will have heard of what happened at Haran, we will wait and see his response. Set up defenses just in case." He walked past her.

Undyne nodded. "Right away Sire." As she turned though, she paused. She noticed one peculiar thing. A detail so slight one would have needed her years of experience to recognize it. The slightest of limps, so small an ordinary monster would never know the difference. Undyne watched him for a few moments, before rattling her head, and going off to fulfill his orders.


	9. Honor

Asriel made his way out of Windgate and into the woods surrounding the town. He took a breath of the morning air as he left the sounds of the waking town behind him. He stared up at the sky, his thoughts dwelling on Toriel. He had never been able to truly say goodbye, but now he felt like he would finally be able to achieve this.

As he continued to walk, his chest gave another twinge. He grunted, breathing harder as he stopped, sitting down on a fallen tree close by. These pains were beginning to become quite the nuisance, yet he was lost as to what it could possibly be. A rustling of the bushes alerted him as he looked up sharply, exhaling when he saw Frisk appear. He was somewhat surprised to see her.

"Hello again little one! What are you doing out here all alone?"

Frisk shrugged. "I like to explore, and my parents said I could so long as I didn't go far. Besides, I wanted to see you again!"

Asriel was even more surprised now. "You…you did? What on Earth for? Don't I frighten you?" He queried, not seeing the same fear that most of the adults held close to them. Frisk shook her head.

"Nope! You actually look kinda cuddly." Asriel arched an eyebrow, then broke out into a chuckle, which he quickly stifled as another burst of pain pulled at him. Frisk got a concerned expression at the pained look, coming over to sit on the fallen log beside him.

"Are you alright?"

Asriel nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes little one, I'm fine."

Frisk nodded, and stared at the forest floor, swinging her feet from the log. Asriel broke the silence.

"You know, I doubt your parents would be pleased if they saw you here. Perhaps you should run along back to them."

Frisk shook her head. "Nah, they're cool. Besides, they don't usually come looking until it starts to get dark, so I'll be fine."

Asriel nodded slowly. Frisk then asked, "Do monsters have families?"

Asriel smiled at the thoughtful question. "As a matter of fact, they do. They're very similar to the families you humans have. With fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, some even have pets."

Frisk looked up at Asriel. "Can I meet your family? I bet it'd be cool!"

Asriel felt another twinge, but this time not from the pain in his chest as he looked away. "…I don't think that would work."

Frisk seemed to understand, nodding slowly. "My parents warned me not to go near you. They think you're really bad and want to hurt me. They say you've killed people before."

Asriel looked over to Frisk. "Do you believe them?"

Frisk met his eyes thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. Did you do those things?"

Asriel sighed. "Frisk…things are…complicated when you're grown up. Sometimes, you need to make decisions that are best for those you are leading. Even if it means sometimes hurting others that wish to do harm to you. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Frisk almost looked like she did, then shook her head. "Nope, not at all. Don't worry though, I think you're really nice, and cool!" Asriel chuckled again, then paused as he heard footsteps approaching. He recognized the pattern instantly and he spoke quietly to Frisk.

"Hide. Quick." Frisk scrambled beneath the log into the foliage, just before Undyne walked into the clearing.

"Oh, King Asriel, there you are."

Asriel stood up, standing just where Frisk had disappeared. "What news do you bring Captain?"

Undyne seemed curious. "King Lucas's messenger arrived shortly after you left. He says the king wants to meet you in Chesterfield at once."

Asriel nodded. "Very well, I'll leave at once. Let's see what he has to say this time."

Undyne nodded, walking out of the clearing. Only then did Frisk crawl back out from beneath the log.

"Who was that?"

Asriel glanced down, answering briefly. "That was Undyne, she's captain of the royal guard in our kingdom. I'm afraid I will have to make my leave. I trust you can find your way back to your parents?"

Frisk nodded. "Uh huh! Talk soon?"

Asriel paused. "Perhaps, perhaps." He mused in response. With this, he left Frisk alone in the clearing. He began walking immediately to Chesterfield.

The sun was at its peak in the sky by the time he entered the city. This time, people cleared away a path as he entered, looking even more terrified of him than the last time he had arrived. Word about Haran's fate must have reached the people quickly. He entered the meeting hall to see Lucas standing, and facing a window. He turned when he saw Asriel, a grim expression on his face.

"Have you decided to meet our demands?"

Lucas didn't answer the question as he responded. "I know what you did in Haran."

Asriel scoffed. "I warned you what would happen if our terms for peace weren't met."

Lucas looked angry. "I didn't think you were going to burn a whole town to the ground."

Asriel grunted. "Haran was not supposed to burn. That was unintentional. It likely though will not be the last. Now, if you are not here to discuss peace, then you are merely wasting my time." Asriel turned and started to leave, but Lucas spoke after him.

"You killed innocent people!" Asriel stopped as Lucas continued. "You killed people trying not to kill you, but defend their families. I thought a king such as yourself would know a little more about honor."

Asriel tensed up, a growl rumbling in his throat. He turned and stalked over to Lucas, glaring fiercely.

"You have a lot of nerve, talking to me about 'honor.' What honor was present when you attacked us?! You humans killed dozens of families, even children! There was NO mercy for my people. You tried to kill every last one of us, and you want to talk to ME about honor?! You're lucky I'm not killing you where you stand."

Lucas kept a straight face, staring unflinchingly into Asriel's black eyes. "If you think your size and threats scare me King Asriel…you are quite wrong. You can try and intimidate me all you like, but it will take much more than that to make me back down."

Asriel stared at him, a small flame kindling in his hand. He tightened his hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame, before leaving. As he left the town, he felt his fury boiling deep within him, the rage almost blinding him as he fought the urge to burn the city to the ground, with Lucas in it. In his thoughts he hardly realized how quickly he was walking, and he found himself soon back at Windgate. He spotted Undyne who was looking exasperated. She approached as soon as she saw him.

"That wizard is back King Asriel. He's refusing to leave until he sees you. Again."

Asriel shook his head, sighing. "I suppose it was inevitable. Where is he?"

Undyne jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the building Asriel stayed in. He walked into the house and into the living room. There, anxiously waiting, was Reinald. He seemed to calm down only slightly when he saw Asriel.

"Ah, the goat king returns! So nice to see you again."

Asriel sighed. "Just…call me King Asriel, please."

Reinald nodded. "Of course, King Asriel. I did say I would be back at a later date, and well, here I am! At a date, that is later."

Asriel closed his eyes, taking a breath. "Yes, you did. So, what did you want to discuss?"

Reinald smiled, almost childishly. "I just have lots of questions!"

Asriel groaned inwardly. "I understand that much. Would you like to have some tea while we talk?"

The wizard nodded. "I would love a cup, thank you."

Asriel went to the kitchen, making two cups of golden flower tea before returning to the living room, sitting in the armchair by the couch Reinald sat on. Reinald looked at the tea for a moment before asking.

"How did you monsters get food when you were trapped? I can't imagine there would be fertile land down there for farming."

Asriel nodded. "That's correct, there wasn't any land that could be suitable for farming. Most of our food was actually made with magic. When we ate it, it immediately turned into the nutrients we needed to remain healthy."

Reinald nodded, looking down at the tea. "So this golden flower tea, is it magical?"

Asriel shook his head. "No, this is one of the only things in the Underground, at least from what I had, that isn't magic."

Reinald looked it over, before taking a sip. "Fascinating. What of the weird technology? I've seen some skeleton monster with a strange device as I was walking here."

Asriel set the cup down. "Ah, you must be talking about Doctor Gaster. He's our royal scientist, a true genius. He's the one we have to thank for giving us the advanced tech. Admittedly, there are some pieces of tech that would not be able to operate without the use of magic."

Reinald looked curious. "You monsters use magic frequently, don't you?"

Asriel shrugged. "We're made of it, so it makes sense to use it I suppose. Now, I have a question for you."

Reinald smiled wider. "Well, let's hear it!"

Asriel looked into his eager eyes. "I want to know more about what can happen when a human soul bonds with that of a monster. I figured you wizards would know more about that than us."

Reinald set the cup down. "Ah, that's an interesting question, King Asriel. One I doubt I would be able to explain properly. That is something the head grand wizard would know about. Shall we pay him a visit?"

Asriel thought for a moment, before nodding. "Let's." As they walked outside of the house, Asriel glanced at Undyne, speaking just quiet enough that Reinald wouldn't overhear.

"I'll be back before dusk. Get the rest of the guard ready to move out upon my return."

Undyne gave a short nod before leaving to prep the others. Asriel continued walking with Reinald out of Windgate.


	10. Monster

The trek up the ridge was filled with more prying questions from Reinald, inquiring on all sorts of aspects of how the monsters lived. Asriel was happy to answer the questions regarding how the leadership of the monster kingdom fell, and even on some of the history over the past centuries. There were other questions though regarding in particular the monsters underground energy source that Asriel would have to refer Reinald to Gaster for. Finally, they arrived at the ridge, and the large building the wizards stayed in.

As they walked inside, the head wizard was already waiting, the same one that had spoken with Asriel on his first visit to the sanctuary.

"Ah, the king of monsters returns I see. With questions on his mind perhaps?"

Asriel nodded at the wizard. "Yes, as a matter of fact."

Reinald smiled at Asriel again, giving a quick goodbye before making his departure, leaving the two alone. The wizard began to walk down the same hall as before, and Asriel fell in beside him.

"How did you know I was coming?"

The wizard smiled knowingly. "The magic that bonds with you is detectable, though not by many. Only certain humans like us wizards are tuned in to the magical force that surrounds us. But this was not your question."

Asriel chuckled. "Perceptive. I wanted to ask about a monsters ability with the seven souls, what happens over a period of time."

The wizard's smile faded. "I see. Well, you no doubt are aware that you have gained extraordinary powers. With time the seven souls will help to grow these powers exponentially."

Asriel looked at the floor a few feet ahead of him. "Is the process of the souls growing in power…a painful one?"

The grand wizard sighed. "To tell you the truth, I would not know for sure. It is an event that has never occurred in all of history."

Asriel nodded. "Understandable."

Then, the wizard spoke again. "King of monsters…when the power eventually does begin to increase…what will you do with it?"

Asriel glanced over. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean."

The wizard's tone grew a bit darker. "With time, the power will grow so much that eventually you would quite possibly be able to change the fabric of reality as we know it. With all this power, you could very well destroy this universe. So, what would you do with such power?"

Asriel didn't have an answer, the question had caught him off guard. The wizard continued. "There are many kinds of monsters in this world. There are the literal monsters, like yourself, and your people. Then, there are the other monsters. Humans that would do unimaginable horrors, just because they feel like it. Many humans become these monsters when they gain power. Over history it has been seen time and time again, but none of them have ever been in such a situation as you. So when you finally gain this absolute power…what kind of a monster will you become?"

The ominous words hung with Asriel, and the rest of the short walk was taken in silence.

_**LATER THAT DAY…**_

The branches swayed in the shallow breeze overhead as Asriel once more led the royal guard through the dark of the woods. This time, they were heading do Dunwich, the final town before the city of Chesterfield. The monsters broke through the treeline, walking into the grassy plain, the small stretch before the city which could be seen a short way off. Before them though, stood whole platoons of human soldiers. Undyne readied a spear as Asriel drew his sword.

He felt power coursing through him as he stalked towards the humans. Asriel summoned a large shield with his other hand, just as he heard one of the humans yell from the line. He brought the shield up, lowering himself into a crouch, the shield protecting him as the bullets slammed against it. Asriel growled, and the other monsters of the guard either dropped to the ground, or used their own magic defenses. One of the monsters though, wasn't fast enough, and was struck. He gave a startled shout of pain, before collapsing, turning to dust just a moment later.

A fresh fury flooded Asriel, and Undyne notice the hand holding the sword start to glow. Fire wrapped around his hand, and engulfed the sword as he opened his eyes again. He stood up and faced the humans, his whole form seeming to glow ever slightly. His black eyes flashed a bright burning orange as he brought his sword up, slamming it onto the ground.

The second the blade struck the dirt, Undyne watched as the ground split open like lightning, racing towards the humans. When it reached the line, an explosion rocked the earth from beneath the ground, fire engulfing the area. Many of the humans were blown apart by the explosion, and several more collapsed, burning alive. Their screams echoed around the clearing, and the humans that were left trembled in terror. One of them dropped his musket and tried to run. The others could only watch in stunned horror as both of Asriel's hands became engulfed in flame. He threw his hands together, and a massive wave of fire rushed forth, engulfing the remaining humans, disintegrating them almost instantly. After this, Asriel's eyes returned to the black they had been, and Undyne breathed out.

"Whoa…" Even she was shocked by the sheer power Asriel had shown. The other monsters looked equally stunned as they stared at him. One of the murmured quietly to another.

"Is that really King Asriel?"

Asriel stood up, surveying the grassy field. The bodies that were left were still burning, along with large patches of grass around the clearing. He picked up his sword, beginning his final march towards Dunwich.

"Let's keep moving. We're taking the settlement, tonight." The other monsters quickly fell back in line, marching towards the town. As they reached the gates, another man rushed out to meet them. He was dressed formally, and looked to be a man of political power. He shouted frantically.

"Wait! Don't attack! We surrender!"

Asriel frowned suspiciously as the human reached them, hands raised. "We…We surrender…you don't need to kill, or harm anyone here. We will all leave at once."

Several of the townsfolk were watching fearfully. Asriel looked to each one of them, then at the man. He took his sword and stabbed the man through the stomach. The man gasped and groaned with agony, dropping to the ground. Asriel walked past the man laying on the ground, his groans turning into more pained cries as Asriel waved his hand, flames leaping from the ground to turn him to ash. He barked to the soldiers.

"Search the town! Kill ANYBODY that's remotely armed!" The soldiers looked to each other with uncertainty, but nodded as they began to walk past him to search the buildings. The townsfolk began to flee for their lives, their cries of fear echoing deep into the night, along with the occasional sound of a weapon against flesh. Undyne stayed behind, walking up to Asriel's side.

"How long have you been able to do…THAT?" She asked. Asriel showed no emotion but cold anger.

"As of now." Undyne nodded at the response. Asriel watched as the soldiers continued to search the building. Then, he heard a voice echo within his mind. It was a voice he did not recognize.

"Please…please just LET ME DIE!" Immediately it felt as though something had crushed his soul, and he doubled over with a deep groan of agony. Undyne bent over, putting an arm on his shoulder to support him.

"King Asriel!"

Asriel shrugged her off, forcing himself to stand up straight despite the pain. Undyne noticed his breathing was labored.

"I'm ok. I'm ok. Don't worry about me."

Undyne began to protest. "But—"

"Undyne…" Asriel's cold voice cut her off. "I said…I'm alright."

She could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke, and she had to bite her tongue. "I…alright…"

She kept one eye on him as Asriel oversaw the remainder of the invasion, and he did not rest until the last sounds of the humans had been lost to the night.


	11. Update

**Hey everybody!**

**First off, apologies for not uploading any chapters over the past few days. I've been discussing with my co-author the various directions Dawnbreak can go. After another extensive discussion on this yesterday, we've finally got a complete timeline that we think will be enjoyable for both myself as a writer, and you the readers. The next chapter will be uploaded later today.**

**Thanks for being so patient!**


	12. Your Best Friend

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**Finally managed to put this up. Chapters will be more frequent in coming now that we've got a better idea of what we want to do with the story. Thanks for bearing with me and being so patient.**

Asriel blinked his eyes open, staring around at his surroundings. He quickly picked out the old training grounds he practiced in so many years ago. There was a lone monster, practicing on a dummy nearby. The monster turned around, smiling when he saw Asriel.

"Ah, King Asriel! So good to speak to you again."

Asriel easily recognized the fox. "U...Uncle Terrowin?" He felt himself once more being overcome with emotion as Terrowin nodded.

"The one and only." Asriel slowly walked towards him, and the two shared a bear hug. Asriel looked around at the training grounds again.

"So...this is another dream then?"

Terrowin nodded. "Indeed."

Asriel nodded thoughtfully. He didn't fully remember going to sleep, but there was the faint memory in the back of his mind.

"Is...Mom-I mean-Toriel here?"

Terrowin nodded again. "She's around, I'm sure. Why don't we take the time to talk, just you and me? There's a lot you need to catch me up on."

Asriel sighed. "I wish there was. Frankly, not much happened in the centuries of just waiting for something to happen. As you can imagine, the other six human children came, and I've collected their souls. A lot of the excitement has come from the war on the surface."

Terrowin nodded. "Ah yes, the war. How is that coming along by the way?"

Asriel chuckled. "Easier than I thought. Humans, it would seem, are little more than scared animals when the tables are turned against them. Wait, why are you asking me about this? You know all of this already!"

Terrowin responded. "I wanted to hear your perspective on things. Look, Asriel, don't you think you might be overdoing it just a little bit?"

Asriel was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Terrowin shook his head. "You burned a whole town to the ground for starters. Not to mention you've killed several humans just trying to defend their families. Asriel, I get that the humans did wrong to us, but if you continue like this, you're going to be no better than the humans! Did I teach you nothing of honor in a fight?"

Asriel scoffed. "Humans don't seem to care about honor. They had none in the past, they will see none from me now."

Terrowin shook his head. "They may not deserve it, but that does not mean it should not be shown. By displaying honor, you are rising up above the humans, showing that you will not stoop to their level. Remember, you can win a fight without destroying your opponent entirely."

Asriel didn't seem to care, and didn't give a response. Terrowin decided to change the subject.

"We never saw if you would be able to best me in combat Asriel. Perhaps a friendly duel would help to clear your mind?"

Asriel brightened immediately, drawing his blade and readying himself. "If there's a time I'll beat you, it'll be now."

Terrowin chuckled, drawing his own sword. He quickly stepped forward, and the two blades collided. Asriel twisted around, trying to drive his blade underneath Terrowin's to disarm him, but he managed to gracefully leap back before the maneuver could be pulled off. Terrowin quickly placed himself in an offensive position, parrying Asriel's attempted counterattacks as he pushed him further back towards the wall.

Despite being on the seeming losing end of the brawl, Asriel's smile widened. The friendly fight took him back to his memories as a young prince, always training on and off with Terrowin. He remembered learning the precise maneuvers through painstaking repetitive exercises, which had clearly payed off. Back then, live was peaceful, and normal.

Then, more memories from his childhood flooded him as he remembered teaching the same basic steps to an old friend. A friend that brought him more pain than he could have imagined. His sword struck Terrowin's aggressively as he put himself on the offensive now. As he continued to strike back, one face kept coming to his mind. He felt himself gritting his teeth as he imagined her face that fateful day, the fear growing with every strike, as a red haze began to descend over his vision.

His next blow was so powerful, it knocked Terrowin down to the ground. The haze instantly cleared as Asriel saw Terrowin on his back, looking up at him. Saying nothing, Asriel leaned down, offering his hand out to Terrowin, who accepted it, pulling himself to his feet. Asriel chuckled.

"Looks like I've finally beaten you."

Terrowin smiled. "It would appear to be so. Though...your mind did wander in that fight, did it not?"

Asriel's smile faded as Terrowin sighed. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. Chara was a sister to you. If there's ever people we want to be able to trust, it's our family."

Asriel shook his head. "I should have fought harder. I could have prevented you from dying."

Terrowin closed his eyes for a moment. "Asriel, I was not afraid of death that day. That is why I fought so much to protect you. That day in the capital when you were just a child...I made a promise to your father. I promised him that I would care for you, and protect you with my life. I fulfilled his last order. To me, there was no greater honor for me, then to die not only protecting you, but fulfilling your father's last wish."

Asriel looked over solemnly, and Terrowin smiled warmly, patting his shoulder. "Why don't we see if we can find Toriel, hmm?"

Asriel nodded. The two of them left the training grounds, and instantly found themself in the kitchen. Asriel looked back to the door, but it had vanished. He shook his head, reminding himself he was still dreaming. There was Toriel, just cutting a pie. She looked up as the two entered.

"Ah, there you two are! I have baked a fresh butterscotch and cinnamon pie. Tell me, did you finally best him?"

Terrowin answered for him. "Sure did, tough as nails. Hasn't lost any of his strength with the age I see."

Asriel chuckled at the compliment, accepting the slice of pie Toriel offered him. The three ate in silence. After they were finished,Toriel looked up at Asriel.

"How are the other monsters adjusting to life on the surface?"

Asriel shrugged. "Those that are on the surface seem to be enjoying life. There are still families living Underground, though it's not many. Soon, we'll have space for them to live too."

Toriel looked into his eyes. "By that, you mean you will take control of another town."

Asriel met her gaze, unflinchingly. There was a range of emotions in her eyes, but he could almost see disappointment among them. He then spoke.

"I think it'll be time for me to go."

Toriel sighed, nodding. Terrowin stood up with them, giving Asriel another hug.

"We'll see each other again Asriel."

Asriel grinned as he responded to Terrowin. "I'm looking forward to it." The world began to slowly diminish into blackness, but he didn't wake. He frowned, puzzled when he found himself still asleep. He slowly looked around, peering into the thick darkness. He then saw a figure facing away from him. He stood rigid. Even with the figure facing away from him, there was no mistaking who it was. Then, the figure spoke.

"It's been a while…" Chara said, before turning around to face Asriel. "You miss me?"

Asriel growled, his hands tightening into fists. "Get out of my head."

Chara shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, that's not going to happen. Don't you remember? My soul is a part of you now. I'm honestly surprised we haven't talked earlier than this."

Asriel snarled. "What do you want?"

Chara shrugged again. "Just to talk. It's been a while, since you know you killed me and all."

Asriel scoffed. "Are you surprised? You took the last two people I cared about away from me. You proved to me that humans can't change, no matter how nice you are to them."

Chara nodded. "Touche." There was silence between them, before Chara spoke. "So, you're going ahead with my plan…"

Asriel sneered mockingly. "You're being stupid, you know full well there's no way I would have gone ahead with your plan."

Now, Chara looked amused. "Oh, but aren't you? My plan was for you to use my soul to go through the barrier, collect the others, and free everyone. Although your version took longer, it's not very different from mine. You've used my soul, and six other human souls, and freed everybody. Now, you're waging war on all of humanity."

Asriel tried to think of a response, but he had none. He was shocked by Chara's words, he had never stopped to think of it that way before.

"We could have avoided all the tragic death if you had just gone through with my version the first time."

Asriel grunted. "In my defense, I didn't know how far you were prepared to go at the time."

Chara nodded thoughtfully. "I guess. So, now you've got seven souls. You're just about godlike. How does it feel? To have all that power within you?"

Asriel stopped for a moment to ponder this. "Honestly, a little strange. But, I've never felt more alive."

Chara sighed. "So, when you're waging war, how do you decide who gets to live, and who gets to die?"

Asriel grunted. "If they try to fight against me, they pay with their life."

Chara tipped her head. "'Fight against me' you say, but, is that really a morally just way to fight a war? Some of those humans were just trying to save their families, not fight against you. In fact, that's not very different from when you fought me, trying to protect your family."

Asriel growled fiercely. "Stop. You have no right to bring my life into this. I have suffered, way more than you ever have, or ever will."

Chara shrugged. "Just thought I'd mention it. Well, looks like you have to go. I'll be seeing you around Azzy."

She turned and walked, vanishing into the blackness. Asriel watched her go, a red haze at the edge of his vision.


	13. The Second War

The scout's feet struck the floor as he sprinted breathlessly through the castle. His mission had been to spy on the monsters, and see what their next military move would be. For two weeks after the fall of Dunwich he had watched, and heard nothing. Then, he overheard a conversation which made his blood chill. Now, he ran repeatedly through the halls, racing for the throne room. He burst through the doors, doubling over to catch his breath as King Lucas looked up in surprise.

"News from the front?" Lucas queried.

The scout nodded quickly. "Yes, your majesty. I've…I've found out what the monsters plan on doing next."

Lucas leaned forward in the throne anxiously. "What news? Do tell."

The scout huffed as he regained his breath. "They plan on attacking Chesterfield in two days time."

Lucas's hands tightened on the armrest at the news. He spoke grimly to the commander at his side. "I want our strongest forces garrisoned in Chesterfield at once. We must ensure that it does not fall."

The commander nodded, immediately departing to follow Lucas's orders. The following two days saw huge numbers of arms being sent to Chesterfield, and a mass majority of the civilian population evacuated. Asriel had noticed the movements, but insisted that they would be no match for him.

Soon, the night came. Asriel stalked towards the walled city. The torches that illuminated the walls and city gleamed like dim fallen stars, piercing the black of the night. As Asriel stepped from the trees, the other monsters followed behind him.

Suddenly, a shout rang from atop the walls, followed by a loud bang. A musket ball slammed into the dirt, and Asriel let out a cry of war. The monsters charged forward, Undyne throwing a spear up at the wall. The spear met its mark, and the human collapsed off the other side. Asriel let a large ball of fire build up in his hands, and he launched it at the gate. The explosion rocked the walls as the gate was blown open.

Inside, the first line of humans began to fire upon the monsters in a futile attempt to bottleneck the gate. Taking his sword, Asriel raised his hand, a bolt of lightning piercing one of the soldiers on the wall. He used his power to take the massive leap onto the wall, startling the humans standing on it. He cut one of the humans down with his sword, an electrified ball of fire striking another. The monsters slowly pushed into the city.

Asriel watched from the wall as the monsters engaged in fierce combat with the human defenders. There were more than Asriel had anticipated, not that it would matter much. He jumped down, landing beside Undyne who looked over to him.

"Should we pull back? There's got to be at least three times as many as we thought!"

Asriel growled, shaking his head. "No. We retreat, they'll take it as weakness. We push forward." Undyne looked hesitant, but nodded all the same. A furious scream sounded from close by, and Asriel's gaze snapped left to see a human charging at him with a bayonet. A spear shot from the ground just in front of the human, who impaled himself on it. Asriel glanced back, giving a short nod to Undyne. The two progressed further into the city, cutting down any that stood in their way.

It was beginning to look like another victory. Then the anger vanished as the pain gripped him. He tried to breathe, but couldn't. He clutched at his chest, dropping down to one knee as he gasped for air. He shivered as the unbearable pain gripped him. Undyne quickly noticed and knelt beside him.

"Your highness!"

Asriel gasped through the pain. "Keep pushing. I'll be fine."

Undyne looked down, and saw the great pain in his eyes, and she shook her head. "No, you need help. You keep this up you'll be killed." She then shouted to the monsters. "PULL BACK!"

The monsters looked up in bewilderment, and even some of the humans looked surprised at the sudden retreat when victory for the monsters looked to be imminent. The monsters though didn't hesitate. A second member of the guard approached Undyne, and the two of them helped Asriel to limp out of the town. One of the human soldiers noticed the act, scratching his head as the remaining humans looked to each other.

The monsters continued to retreat deep into the forest. After nearly 15 minutes of walking, Asriel surprised both the guard and Undyne by pushing them away.

"I can walk by myself." Undyne looked skeptical.

"Are you sure? A minute ago you could hardly stand on your own."

Asriel shot her a look that could have melted lead, and she decided to keep her mouth shut. Asriel slowly led the monsters back to Windgate, some of the monsters staying back in Dunwich. Asriel was obviously fuming of Undyne's call to retreat, but nothing would be able to convince her it wasn't the right one.

It was just passed midnight by the time they finally returned to Windgate. Undyne stood outside the house as Asriel walked inside. He leaned over the kitchen table, pressing two fingers against his forehead as he sighed. As he walked into the bedroom, he slowly took the chestplate of armor, lifting it up and off, letting it rest close by. Only then did he realize how tired he felt.

Through the shirt beneath though, he noticed something as he passed the mirror. He frowned as he looked at the strange dark spot on the shirt. Then he realized, it came from under. He slowly lifted the shirt, and nearly jumped in both shock and horror at what he saw. The fur and flesh around his soul had turned to a black darker than the night itself. Protruding out from the ugly spot were several blackened lines that stretched on like blood veins a short way around his chest. He took a shaky breath as the pieces began to click together. He quickly put the shirt back on before walking out to Undyne.

"Fetch Doctor Gaster at once. Tell him it's urgent." Undyne looked to Asriel in surprise, but from the urgency in his face, she couldn't knew to set out immediately. She made the short journey to the small Ebott village, the first village the monsters took and where Gaster kept his surface laboratory. She pounded on the door, not stopping until Gaster threw it open, looking cross.

"Captain Undyne, have you ANY idea what time it is?! This BETTER be good!"

Undyne responded. "Sorry about this, but King Asriel is requesting your presence. He says it's of the highest urgency."

Gaster shook his head. "What on earth could he possibly need at this hour…" Still, he couldn't deny Asriel's request for him. Sighing, he disappeared inside, reappearing a few moments later, holding a small briefcase. As Undyne and Gaster began to walk back, she looked curiously at the briefcase.

"What's inside doc?"

Gaster replied. "A portable lab you could say. If the king is requesting me in the middle of the night, it's bound to be important. It's good to have at least some tools on hand." Undyne shrugged, already bored. The hour-long trip back was in silence. Gaster was still waiting on the doorstep when they finally arrived. Gaster followed Asriel as he headed back inside. Gaster sounded tired and mildly irritated as he spoke.

"King Asriel…what can I help you with? You do understand that it is the middle of the night, correct?"

Asriel nodded. "I do apologize, but it was too important to wait. It's, this." He lifted his shirt, and Gaster nearly jumped when he saw Asriel's blackened chest. Asriel saw the instant surprise in Gaster's eyes.

"You have any idea what it is?"

Gaster shook his head, setting the briefcase down on the table and pulling a chair out. "Not a clue your highness. Have a seat, I want to do some tests."

Asriel took a seat and Gaster asked him as he opened the briefcase, pulling out a syringe and giving the needle a tap.

"I can tell you right away that it is more than likely that this…thing, is what has been giving you your chest pains. Now, I'm going to quickly take a blood sample, and then try to collect a sample of, well whatever it is. This might be painful."

Asriel nodded at the warning. The pinch of the needle in his arm was of almost no notice as Gaster collected the blood sample. When he tenderly inserted a second needle into one of the black strands, it almost felt like a fire had ignited within him, and Asriel had to bite his tongue. Gaster made the extraction quick. He looked curiously at the liquid within the second syringe. It was black and murky, similar to the colour of the spot itself. After looking over it briefly, he deposited both syringes back in the briefcase tenderly, then closed it.

"I'll take these back to the lab and run tests on them. I will make contact with you the second I find anything. Until then, I would highly advise staying out of combat. We don't know what it is, and we don't want to risk irritating it."

Asriel nodded, watching as Gaster left. Outside, he spoke quietly to Undyne. "Watch him closely. Try to keep him out of combat, whatever you have to do. His life may depend on it."

Without giving further explanation, Gaster left a very bewildered Undyne standing by the door.

**_MEANWHILE…_**

The soldier knelt in front of Lucas, who spoke immediately. "At ease son. I've been told you saw something odd at Chesterfield during the attack?" Lucas had been freshly briefed on the monsters attempted takeover of Chesterfield, and he had commended every soldier that survived for their admirable courage in defending the city. One of the soldiers though had reported a curious sight, so Lucas had wanted to speak to him alone. The soldier spoke.

"Yes your majesty. During the attack, their king suddenly…well I don't know how to describe it. He looked like he had been shot by one of our muskets, but nobody ever hit him. It was so sudden too. Right after that was when the monsters retreated. He could barely stand on his own."

Lucas scratched his chin, frowning. "Curious…did you see anything that could have suggested what happened to him?"

The soldier shook his head apologetically. "Not that I could see."

Lucas nodded slowly. "Very well, thank you. You are dismissed." As the soldier dismissed, many thoughts raced through his mind.

"Perhaps the monsters are not as strong as they are letting on. But, to see a monster be so powerful, and suddenly become so weak…it just doesn't add up." "Commander." He then spoke to the soldier. "Send out our spies again, to Windgate. Tell them to get as close as they can, find out what's going on. Something doesn't add up here and I want to find out what it is. In the meantime, send a message to Asriel himself for another try at peaceful negotiations."

The commander nodded and departed the room, leaving Lucas alone with his thoughts.


	14. Losing Time

Gaster tapped a finger on the desk, possibilities and hypothesis raced through his mind. He had been working non-stop for nearly three days, trying to find out what the strange black spot on Asriel's chest was. The sample had proven to be difficult to work with, and most tests he ran turned up nothing. His assistant, Alphys, had been more than willing to assist, and often insisted that Gaster should stop and rest. If he ever did, it would only be for an hour or two at a time.

He glanced up as he heard a frantic beeping from beyond the door leading to his study. A few seconds later, Alphys flung the door open, forgetting to knock.

"D-D-Doctor G-Gaster! T-The test i-is complete and...w-well, I t-think you should c-come and see for y-yourself."

Gaster stood up slowly. "Thank you Alphys." This was one of the last tests he could think of running on the blackened liquid. He walked over to the machine and looked at the readings. He gave a short gasp when he saw what was on it.

"That's...That's...impossible!"

Alphys spoke up from behind him. "That's what I t-thought! W-what do you think it means?"

Gaster took a second look over the results. "I'm not sure...it would seem though this is bigger than we both thought." He racked his brain, desperately trying to think of some sort of explanation. None came. His mind then turned to anything that could grant him the knowledge. Only one thought came to his mind. He quickly threw on the black jacket overtop his white lab coat. He spoke to Alphys as he made for the door.

"Watch over things, I'll be back shortly. Keep that sample in a safe place, let nothing happen to it. And under no circumstance are you to tell ANYONE what we've found. Not until we know more at least."

Alphys nodded rapidly. "O-Of course Doctor." Gaster stepped out of the lab in Ebott, and quickly found the overgrown trail leading deep into the woods. It only took half an hour before he began the trek up the ridge leading to the ancient building.

At last, after a couple of hours hiking, Gaster arrived, quickly making his way inside.

He quickly considered his options once more, trying to think if there was anyone else who could help. He then convinced himself that this was the only option. He walked through the halls, searching the individual rooms as he passed.

When he stepped into one particular room, he saw a lone human, the head wizard, sitting alone, and facing away from him. He appeared to be meditating. Gaster had barely entered the room before the wizard spoke.

"A monster decides to pay us a visit, yet it is not the king of the monsters. Tell me stranger, what is your purpose?"

Gaster spoke up. "My name is Doctor Gaster, I'm the royal scientist."

"Ah, a monster of science." The Wizard replied. "Strange that you would come to a place where science does not reign."

Gaster tried to keep a straight face. "I'm here for knowledge."

The wizard did not move. "One might assume you would already be one of the smartest monsters in your kingdom. So tell me, what knowledge do you think you can gain here?"

Gaster was hesitant in his response. "The type only your kind would know."

The wizard smiled to himself. "And so we come to the reason of your visit. I feel though that you do not wish to learn because you desire to. You are here because there is something depending on it. Or perhaps, someone?"

Gaster's features grew firmer. "Before I speak more, I need to know something."

The wizard nodded. "And that is?"

Gaster then asked. "Whose side are you wizards on?"

The wizard sighed. "A difficult question. In the past, we did indeed seal monsters underground, thus taking the side of the humans. However, we also made the barrier in such a way that an outside creature, for example a human, could enter through it, but not leave. This would allow you monsters a small window of opportunity, which you have quite obviously exploited. In a way, you could say that us wizards do not take sides. We are but the neutral party."

Gaster shook his head. It would have to do. "King Asriel...there's something wrong with him. A strange black spot on his chest. A sample I managed to collect of him showed something that was, or should be, impossible. A quantity of magic and soul power that is so high, that I'm surprised my technology was able to give the reading at all. I wish to know what is wrong with him."

The wizard nodded, closing his eyes. "I understand. It would appear that King Asriel is fighting not one, but two wars."

Gaster was silent, confused. The wizard elaborated. "He fights the war against humanity on the outside. Yet, there is an internal war, and it rages harder than any war ever seen. He is battling to remain himself, and to remain in control."

Gaster shook his head, trying to make sense of it, then asked. "Would it be possible for you to return to Windgate with me to help?"

The wizard shook his head. "As I said, we are a neutral force. We will never outright help one side, without benefiting the other. I am afraid this is all I can do."

Slowly, Gaster turned around, glancing once more over his shoulder. As he walked down the stairs, he tussled with the wizards words. Then, the realization hit him. He sped up his pace, breaking into a run as he raced down the path once more. He burst into the lab, startling Alphys into nearly dropping a beaker she was holding as she let out a squeak of surprise. He quickly rushed back to the console and once more looked over the readings.

"Oh my god…" He spoke quietly, half to himself as the realization kicked in. He quickly moved the results onto the tablet, and slammed the briefcase shut, making a hasty departure, leaving a bewildered Alphys in his wake. He kept his eyes trained straight ahead as he quickly walked to Windgate. Undyne spotted him as he made his way into the town, making a beeline for the house Asriel stayed in. He quickly asked as he approached.

"Is King Asriel here?"

Undyne nodded, looking puzzled by his agitated expression. "Yeah he's right inside, why what's-"

Gaster didn't let her finish, brushing past her and walking inside. In the living room, Asriel looked up as Gaster entered.

"Ah, Doctor Gaster! Any luck on the tests?"

Gaster nodded grimly. "Unfortunately. You...may want to have a seat." Asriel frowned, but slowly sat down in the armchair, Gaster sat close by on a sofa. He put the briefcase down, and pulled out the tablet.

"This is a test I ran to try and find traces of magic. I thought perhaps you had been hit by some sort of magic attack we didn't know humans possessed. I wish that was the case."

Asriel began to look more and more concerned as Gaster continued. "There are large traces of magic within this, thing on your chest, as well as soul residue. More than anybody has ever seen in history. This thing, is not from some attack, it's coming directly from you, and your soul. Your monster soul."

Asriel nodded, looking at the readings, despite not knowing at all what they indicated. "What are you saying here Gaster?"

Gaster sighed. "The seven souls combined as you know, contain an extraordinary amount of power. Your monster soul was able to cope with the power for a short period of time, but over time, your soul has been growing weaker. It's been unable to withstand all the excess power from the souls. What I'm trying to say is...the seven souls they're...they're killing you, Asriel."

Asriel leaned back, a dark expression on his face. "...How long?"

Gaster shrugged helplessly. "Two, three months at best… I should inform you that it would be an extremely slow and painful death."

Asriel nodded as he croaked out, hardly able to find words. "Is there anything you can do to fix it?"

Gaster took a deep breath. "I did some thinking on my way over, and, well there's one idea I had. If I could find a way to boost your souls ability to withstand the extra soul power, it could potentially create a temporary cure. This would at least give us more time to find a permanent solution."

Asriel looked up. "How would you do it?" Gaster took some time to think about this, then spoke. "If I can find out what allows a human soul to persist after death, I could find a way to try and reverse-engineer it to it would allow a monster soul to do the same, which in turn would increase your own soul power, allowing it to handle the other human souls. I would need subjects to run tests on obviously but-"

Asriel cut him off. "No. Absolutely not. I will not allow other monsters to put their lives on the line for my own. You'll need to find another way."

Gaster tried to protest. "But, King Asriel, what if-"

Asriel shouted, startling Gaster. "I said FIND ANOTHER WAY!"

The sudden outburst silenced Gaster, who stared into Asriel's eyes. "...As you wish." Gaster stood and made a quick departure. Asriel leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. The throbbing pain persisted as he thought of all the monsters that were counting on him. Then, cold determination entered his mind. He had vowed that he would achieve justice for his people. If doing so would cost him his life...so be it.


	15. Hold The Line

Asriel took another deep breath of the crisp air as he walked along the dirt trail he had grown familiar with. The throbbing ache of his chest hindered his speed, though he didn't mind as much. Sometimes, it was good to slow down and enjoy the scenery. The pain had grown further, and now the dull ache was always present, and would occasionally flare up immensely, sometimes for a few hours at a time.

Frisk was already standing by the fallen tree they always met by. Asriel had made a habit of visiting with Frisk every few days. It was nice to have someone he could talk to, and it almost made him feel whole again. Reinald too had been visiting regularly, and him and Asriel often had tea together. Frisk waved as Asriel approached.

"Hi Asriel! How's your day?"

Asriel smiled as he nodded. "My day's been going just fine." He noticed often that the pain in his chest seemed to increase gradually when he was around Frisk. For why, he didn't know. He took a deep breath, trying to drag his thoughts elsewhere.

"Quite a lovely day, isn't it?"

Frisk smiled as she gazed about the clearing. "Yeah, I like how the sun makes patterns on the ground."

Asriel looked down to the forest floor at the patterns of light dancing amongst the turf as the branches swayed in the gentle spring breeze. Frisk suddenly piped up.

"Oh, I want to show you something!" She dug around in her pocket, fishing out a bracelet. Asriel looked it over. Around the string were several tiny colourful beads. Several of them were in little heart shapes, some even have tiny words engraved on them, like 'Friends'. "It's beautiful Frisk...did you make this by yourself?"

Frisk shook her head. "Not really, Mom helped me out with it. I've got one too, see?" She showed Asriel her own. "It's to show that we're friends" Asriel's smile wavered ever so slightly as his mind flashed back to distant memories of the last human that had called him his friend. He quickly recovered and chuckled, almost half heartedly.

"Well, I'll be sure to take good care of it." Frisk got a more playful look in her eyes. "Bet I can beat you to that tree and back." She pointed off to a tree with a distinct low hanging branch a short way off. Asriel gave her a smug grin.

"Oh ho, you want a race hmm? I accept your challenge." Frisk was bouncing with excitement as she set herself up, Asriel beside her.

"Alright. Ready? 3, 2, 1, GO!" She dashed away, and Asriel followed in hot pursuit, though holding back a rather substantial quantity of potential speed. He found himself laughing half to himself as he ran. He felt almost young again, like the worries were melting away.

As Frisk reached the tree, she skidded on her heel and began to race back. Asriel touched the tree a split second later. As he was on his way back, Asriel heard a voice echo in his head. "Why do you torment us?"

Instantly he felt like his heart had burst as the pain seared through him. He stifled the yelp of pain, and dropped to one knee. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth and clutching at his chest as he breathed rapidly, trying to control the pain. Frisk spun around and noticed what had happened, quickly running over.

"Are you alright?" Asriel was unable to answer, opening his eyes slightly, feeling dizzy. He then saw Frisk's alarmed face staring at him. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe we should stop…"

Asriel managed to groan. "Yeah, per-perhaps that...would be best…"

Frisk tried to help Asriel over to the fallen tree, as much as she could, and Asriel grunted as he sat on it. The pain was already beginning to subside, but it was still much greater than when he had begun. He glanced up the path.

"I...I should be returning...I'm sorry about this Frisk…"

Frisk didn't seem to care. "That's alright, I don't mind...will you be alright?"

Asriel nodded, standing up after a moment. "I'll be fine, thank you little one." Frisk watched as Asriel slowly disappeared into the trees, before turning and running off.

**_LATER THAT NIGHT…_**

Sleep did not come easy for Asriel, and when it did, it was troubled. He had expected to find the meadow, or the training grounds, or at least be able to see Toriel or Terrowin. Instead, he heard nothing. There only whispers which he could not identify. He ran through the shadows, trying to see something, anything. The whispers grew louder, and he recognized a chanting of his name.

"Asriel...Asriel! ASRIEL!" Something grabbed him and began to shake him. He suddenly found himself awake and staring into Undyne's face as she shook him awake. She spoke immediately when she saw his eyes open.

"King Asriel, there's a situation."

Asriel groaned, sitting up. Sunlight didn't pierce the windows, it was still the middle of the night. "Captain…? What's going on?"

Undyne looked almost frantic. "There's...just...come and see!"

She was unable to find the words as she quickly hurried out. Asriel slowly climbed out of bed and walked to the closet. Minutes later, he emerged outside in his armour and cape. Undyne met him outside.

He saw just about every monster in the village was awake, and several held alarmed looks. He watched as two members of the guard sprinted past, making for the south wall of Windgate. Frowning, Asriel followed Undyne after them. Most of the royal guard stationed in the city was on top of the wall, murmuring amongst themselves and looking out. Asriel climbed up the ladder onto the wall and looked out, searching for what the fuss was about.

Clouds covered the moon as he looked out over the field that stretched out beyond the wall. The blackness covered everything. Suddenly, he saw a single small light pop up just beyond, and move between the trees at the edge of the field. Then, it disappeared. From that light, he saw all he needed to see. The humans had gathered in the forest and were seeming to be preparing for an all out attack. There was a rumble in the sky as Asriel turned to Undyne.

"How many do we think there are?"

Undyne looked out once more. "No way of knowing for sure. I've sent out a scout just a while ago, he hasn't returned."

Asriel nodded. "Well, we must fear the worst." As he spoke, another lone monster scrambled up the ladder, saluting both Asriel and Undyne, who looked relieved.

"Oh thank God, you made it back. What did you find?"

The monster quickly reported his findings. "There's a lot of them sire. At least as many as there were from Haran and Windgate combined."

Asriel nodded. "Captain, make sure everybody is ready to fight. We hold the line, no matter what. We have yet to lose any ground in this war, and I don't intend to start now."

Undyne nodded, and moved around to speak to the soldiers. Then, silence descended as the monsters glared out into the field. Suddenly, a loud cry rang out from the trees, and the humans emerged, charging towards them. Asriel growled as he felt his soul resonating. His feet lifted from the ground as he rose up in the air. Undyne's mouth nearly hit the ground as she saw Asriel's eyes glowing a bright white.

Another clap of thunder echoed around as Asriel's hand crackled. He thrust his palm out, and lightning rained from the clouds. The lightning streaked towards the ground, striking through the humans and into the monsters with more ranged magic abilities were also frozen in awe. Amidst the lightning constantly crashing down, was embers of fire that lit up the area for the monsters to see more clearly.

The onslaught continued as one by one the charging humans fell. Still, they continued to pour from the trees and into the field. One of the humans raised his musket and fired. The musketball met its mark, striking one of the monsters by Asriel. The monster grunted in surprise and stumbled backwards, falling off of the wall and landing below with a sickening thud.

With a roar of fury, a large ball of fire erupted from his hand, smashing down with an explosion amidst the humans. Inside the ball were more smaller bolts of lightning, which shot out in all directions. It soon became evident to the humans that they would not be able to break through. Soon, one of the lead humans called out.

"Fall back! Fall b-AGCK!" He was cut off as a magic attack struck him down. The humans immediately pulled back, some nearly tripping over themselves as they desperately tried to evade the onslaught that followed. Then, silence descended over the field once more. Asriel let himself slowly land back on the wall, as the glow in his eyes vanished. The thunder ceased moments later as well.

Then he noticed the pain. The pain was unbearable and it took every ounce of his strength to try and keep from making it noticable. He turned to Undyne and gave a smug smirk. He said nothing, and tried to move to the ladder. He took two steps, then the pain seemed to triple, as if something was stabbing him over and over. Then a moment later, he collapsed.


	16. Update 2

**Hello everybody!**

**Again, apologies for the lack of updates lately. This time it's been some minor technical issues on my proof reader's end. This has been resolved as of last night, and I plan on uploading regularly, hopefully by later today or tomorrow. I haven't abandoned the story, don't worry.**


	17. Family Reunion

When Asriel blinked his eyes open, he found himself laying in a bed, in a room he recognized. He slowly sat up, looking around his old bedroom. He climbed out of bed and stood. It must be another dream. As he walked outside, he saw Toriel sitting in an armchair, reading a book. She looked up through her glasses, smiling as she saw him.

"Ah, you are awake!"

Asriel nodded, relaxing when he saw her. "Hey Mom...what're you reading?"

Toriel closed the book. "72 Uses For Snails."

Asriel chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course you would read that."

Toriel shared in his chuckle, removing her glasses and setting them aside. "Come, I know someone who greatly wants to speak with you."

His curiosity once more ignited, Asriel followed Toriel out of the living room. She stepped out of the back door, and Asriel found himself in a beautiful garden outside. He looked down and around at the mass variety of colourful flowers. He had no memory of this place, yet it felt oddly familiar.

He froze when he saw somebody standing close by. Toriel stopped walking, and Asriel took a step forward. He instantly recognized the purple cloak, as he stepped towards him. He opened his mouth, but the word just barely choked out.

"...Dad?"

One of Asgore's ears pricked and he turned around with wide eyes. "Son?" He turned around to face Asriel. Asriel once more was overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of his father. Ever slowly the two walked close together, until they were standing just in front of each other. Asriel threw his arms around Asgore, choking as a tear ran down his cheek. Asgore's breath was shaky as he wept.

"Oh my son...my son...it's been so, so long…" He broke the hug, touching his hands to Asriel's cheeks as he gave an astonished smile.

"Look at you! You've grown so much!" He almost laughed as he stared at Asriel, drying a tear with his thumb. Asriel rubbed away his tears as he stared at his father.

"I had almost forgotten what you looked like..."

Asgore now looked solemn. "You were so young...I only wish I could have been there to watch you grow up…"

Asriel's smile slowly faded. "Why did you leave us...we needed you...it's been so hard…"

Asgore sighed. "Asriel...I love you more than any other thing in this world. I would have done anything for you, even lay down my life for you. You, were what made me stay behind. My love for you, is what convinced me to make that decision."

Asriel still didn't understand. "But you could have come with us."

Asgore closed his eyes. "I know you probably don't understand...I hope that someday, you will be able to feel as I felt for you that day. Believe me, there is nothing I desired more than to go with you. Except, for my desire to keep you and your mother safe."

Asriel looked over his shoulder. Terrowin had by now joined Toriel, who was dabbing at her eye. Asriel then looked back to Asgore.

"Please don't leave me again…"

Asgore nodded. "I promise my son...I will never, leave you again."

Asriel gave a chuckle as he walked back to Toriel and Terrowin with Asgore beside him. Terrowin spoke up.

"Well, I'm glad to see the family back together again." Toriel nodded, sharing a longing look with Asgore before turning to Asriel.

"You will be waking soon, you best be going. Fear not, we will all speak again very soon."

Asriel looked over at Asgore again, before giving a solemn nod. Suddenly, Asgore seemed to begin to disintegrate into dust. Looking around, he saw Toriel and Terrowin following suit, following with the rest of the beautiful scenery. Replacing it, was the thick black void. Chara stood just a few feet away, and Asriel turned away, trying to walk away.

"You can't get away from me Az." Asriel stopped as Chara appeared a few feet in front of him. Growling angrily, Asriel turned back. "Why are you doing this?"

Chara looked at him innocently. "What are you talking about?"

Asriel rolled his eyes. "You know full well what I'm talking about. This sickness, everything."

Chara looked amused. "I'm not doing anything Az, you heard Gaster, your soul can't handle the power of our human souls for a long period of time."

Asriel wasn't' convinced. "I've been hearing these voices in my head. Why?"

Chara sighed. "It's the other souls. They're in pain, Az. All they want is to be allowed to move on, and you won't let them. Now they're the ones who want to be freed."

Asriel scoffed. "They can go free when I achieve overall victory."

Chara's smile vanished. "Do you think you will be able to? At the rate your soul is deteriorating, you won't be able to fight."

Asriel looked down slightly. "You're showing an awful lot of concern for me considering what you did."

Chara looked into his eyes. "I did what I thought I had to do. I'll admit that there likely was a better way. I wasn't thinking clearly. I acted out of emotion. I... hoped you could forgive me."

Asriel grunted. "It'll take more than an apology to make me even consider forgiving you."

Chara shrugged. "Whatever floats your goat."

Asriel couldn't help but give a slight chuckle, caught off guard by the unexpected pun. Chara cracked a smile as well, one that was, somehow, solemn.

"It's been a long time since I've heard you laugh."

Asriel couldn't help but take on a more neutral expression. "Well, I guess I've got some sense of humor left in me." He suddenly felt a throbbing pain beginning to grow within his chest. He slowly closed his eyes, grunting as he put one hand on his chest. When he opened them, he found himself waking in pain in his chest was worse than ever. He tried to sit up, then flinched in pain, groaning as he did. He felt a hand on his shoulder, then heard Undyne's voice.

"Just lay back your highness, take it easy." He allowed her to slowly push him back down, and she called out.

"Hey doc! He's awake!"

He opened his eyes, hearing Gaster walking into the room. It was slightly difficult to breathe as he looked over at him. Gaster spoke quietly to Undyne.

"Give me a minute with him."

Undyne nodded, leaving the room. Gaster stood by Asriel.

"You can't fight it forever your highness...I'm sorry, but I don't see another way. If I could just be allowed to conduct my experiments...we might be able to find a cure. I know your thoughts on the matter but…" He trailed off as Asriel's cold gaze bore into his own.

"Do it...do whatever you have to do…" Gaster nodded, straightening himself.

"I understand, sire. I will begin at once. Thank you." Gaster turned, and then left.

**THAT AFTERNOON…**

Gaster walked into the small medical building set up just after Windgate fell. With him, was a lone piece of paper. He walked into the room containing the first soldier to have been shot during the assault on Haran. His family was with him. Upon seeing Gaster's look, they decided to leave Gaster with his patient alone for a few minutes. Gaster sighed as he shook his head.

"I'm so sorry...I've done everything I can, but the wound is just too unique and…"

The soldier nodded, croaking weakly. "It's fine...you tried your best, we can't do more than that…thank you for trying…"

Gaster cleared his throat. "There is, one thing I want to ask of you."

The soldier looked over from the bed. "Well, what is it?"

Gaster lowered his voice, speaking quietly. "King Asriel is...sick. Something I've never seen before. I'm working on a potential cure but, I need another monster I can test it on, to make sure it works. Would you be willing to become a willing test subject?"

The soldier thought for a moment, before nodding. "For King Asriel...I would do anything...besides, it's not like I have a lot of time left anyway."

Gaster took out a pencil and some paper from his lab coat and handed them to him. "Just sign at the bottom." The soldier read through the paper, signing on the dotted line at the bottom of the paper. Gaster nodded as he took it back.

"Thank you my friend." With this, he made a hasty departure. He walked back down the path to his lab in Ebott. Alphys was waiting for him when he returned, and he spoke briefly when he got there.

"King Asriel has approved the project. Begin making the preparations in the old lab in Hotland, we will begin there."

Alphys looked up in surprise, then nodded. "O-Of course D-D-Doctor Gaster...at once…"

She quickly left to make the necessary preparations. Gaster walked into his study, locking the door. He sat down at his desk, opening up a small blank book. He turned it to the first page, then after several long minutes, began to write.

**Entry #1**

**This is it... Time to do what King Asriel has told me to do. I will create the cure to Asriel's disease. I will find a way to boost the power of a monsters' soul.**


	18. Preperations

**Entry #2**

**King Asriel's sickness is caused by the power from the human souls being too much for his own monster soul to handle. So, it stands to reason if I can boost the power of his own soul, he should be at least temporarily cured. Unfortunately, this power can not be recreated artificially. Soul power can only be derived from what was once living, so we will have to use what we have now, the souls of other monsters.**

Gaster walked into the elevator, with Alphys at his side. The lift took them from the top of Hotland in Gaster's old lab, down into the basement lab. It was a place he had constructed for his top secret projects, such as this one. This however, was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Now, he looked around, flicking a switch on a wall. Lights flickered and illuminated the bleak room.

Folding his hands behind his back, he stepped out and let his gaze wander, as his feet moved him from room to room. He found one larger room.

"Mark this room. I want you to bring several beds into this room, our subjects will remain here." He then pointed to another room. "Set up examination chairs and tables over there." Alphys quickly wrote the notes down, continuing to follow Gaster around as they continued to inspect the lab.

**Entry #3**

**But extracting the soul from a monster would require incredible power… Despite being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the soul's host. ****And, unlike the persistent souls of humans, the souls of monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's soul last...**

Lucas paced back and forth in front of the soldier that stood in front of him, the one that had lead the attack on Windgate. Lucas was positively livid.

"I'm just...I'm so lost as to your logic." Lucas's voice held an icy calm that spooked the soldier. "We are TRYING, to make peace with these monsters...AND YOU GO AND LAUNCH AN ATTACK?! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Lucas yelled at the soldier, who flinched slightly. He tried to explain himself.

"I-I understand you're upset sire...please understand, a lot of us are tired of seeing these monsters trampling over us. S-so, when we pushed them back at Chesterfield, we thought we could turn the tables! Clearly we were wrong."

Lucas threw his hands up in the air. "Well thank you for THAT understatement oh, Captain of obvious! I'm sitting here, trying to convince their king that we don't want war. If we ARE to convince them of that, we CAN'T just go attacking them!"

The soldier quickly nodded. "I understand perfectly, it won't happen again."

Lucas nodded and turned, starting to walk away, but he shouted back over his shoulder. "Oh and Captain, if I find out you pull a stunt like this again, you'll wish the monsters had killed you on the battlefield!"

_**THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON…**_

Asriel forced himself to stand up straight as he walked up the steps into the Chesterfield meeting hall. The messenger delivering Lucas's call to another attempt at making peace had come the previous day. The messenger, understandably, had been terrified. Asriel now tried to stand tall and proud as he often tried to do, though he had to use a great deal of grit and magic to keep the pain from overwhelming him entirely.

"King Bronson." Asriel spat coldly as he spotted Lucas already waiting for him. Lucas turned around, giving a polite nod.

"King Asriel. Please accept my apologies for the attack on Windgate. I want you to know, I did not authorize the attack."

Asriel gave a low growl. "You expect me to believe you? The order to attack came from somewhere. You tell me you humans want peace, but you've got new weaponry, and now you've tried to launch a counter attack, which might I add was very poorly coordinated."

Lucas sat down at the table, and Asriel took a heavy seat across from him.

"I am understanding of your worries. Please believe me when I say the appropriate

parties have been dealt with."

Asriel let a small fireball laced with electricity suddenly appear in his hand. He lashed out and the fireball sailed past Lucas's shoulder, smashing into the wall behind him. Asriel slammed his fist down on the table.

"STOP TELLING ME TO BELIEVE YOU, AND START GIVING ME REASONS WHY I SHOULD!"

After Lucas had steadied his racing heart, he spoke slowly and carefully. "Let's just calm down here your highness, the last thing I want is a fight. Can you tell me what your terms for peace are?"

Asriel snarled. "You know fully well what my terms are."

Lucas shook his head. "I'm sorry, but my answer to giving you the land remains the same. Are you sure there isn't some kind of compromise we could sign?"

Asriel scoffed. "If you had seen what my people have been through...you would be grateful I'm even showing my face here."

Lucas nodded, and there was a few seconds of silence. Then, Lucas, with a perplexed expression, spoke. "Are you feeling alright King Asriel? You don't look quite like your usual looming self."

Asriel stiffened, and Lucas noticed the instant reaction. Asriel abruptly stood up, looking down at Lucas. "The next time you humans try to attack us, be a man and lead the charge." With that, he turned and made a hasty departure. Lucas frowned. Something was definitely amiss.

By the time Asriel reached Windgate, he was exhausted. Undyne was waiting for him at the town limits. As Asriel reached her, he felt his strength slowly failing him. He suddenly lurched forward, his vision swimming as his chest tightened up. He gasped as Undyne took hold of him, calling to another guard.

"Hurry, help me get him inside!" The guard ran over, and the two helped Asriel into the building and up to his bedroom, laying him back. Asriel groaned, shifting in the bed, as he slowly managed to drag air fully back into his chest. Undyne shook her head worriedly, as she was hesitant to leave, but finally took her place back outside.

_**MEANWHILE…**_

The stack of books in front of Gaster towered above the desk as he poured over every last piece of text remotely related to souls. Any source of knowledge would be of help. He wrote some final notes down on an already full page, before slamming the book shut. He then stood up, quickly walking from his new study. Outside, Alphys was organizing small, accommodating furniture to make the monster's final days in the lab as comfortable as possible. Gaster snapped his fingers.

"Follow me." Alphys looked up, and quickly followed after him. He left the room with the beds and turned sharply to the left, walking down the hallway to a massive room. Originally this was where the main source of power for the building was, before Gaster had moved it long before the monsters had left the Underground. Since then, the room had been baren. Gaster quickly explained his idea to Alphys, then unrolled a larger piece of paper with the design for a brand new machine. The machine looked earilly skeletal. Alphys seemed excited.

"I-It's all s-so fascinating! D-D-Do you t-think it c-could work?"

Gaster smiled. "We'll have to wait and see. Construction for the machine, if we do it efficiently enough, should only take a few weeks...let's pray we can finish it in time."

Alphys nodded solemnly. She took the blueprints, and begin laying out dimensions within the room. Gaster walked back to his study, sitting down and pushing notes and books aside. He pulled out the journal, and continued to write.

**Entry #4**

**I've been researching human souls further to see if I can find any more detailed information about their souls. Apart from my notes taken from past studies, I didn't find much that was new. However, there is some good news. When King Asriel first took the Ebott Village, I managed to store the soul of the single human that he killed. I wasn't sure if we would need it or not. Now though, that soul could be the very soul to save Asriel's life.**


	19. Rays of Hope

The next three weeks saw great change in the underground laboratory in Hotland. Gaster worked day and night, even without Alphys's help on occasion as he tried to get things ready. The largest of the changes was the new construction of a massive machine. The blueprints were complex, and only the two scientists could possibly understand their true meaning.

Meanwhile, Asriel's health had continued to deteriorate further. He was in constant pain, and hadn't been able to leave Windgate since the last meeting. As such, no military advancements had been made, something that perplexed Lucas. Just a couple days earlier, Undyne reported hearing Asriel talking to someone in the middle of the night. When she checked on him though, nobody was there, and Asriel seemed to be asleep. Yet, the king had sounded so lucid. Gaster knew time was short, and every hour mattered.

He finished twisting the final tube on, while Alphys typed something into the control panel that would operate the machine. She looked up as Gaster stood up from underneath the machine, making his way over.

"Alphys, the soul if you please." Alphys quickly moved away from the panel,

disappearing from the room. She returned moments later with another soul containment pod. In it, was the soul from the first soldier Asriel had struck down, after the evacuation of The Underground.

Gaster accepted the pod from Alphys, carrying it over to the machine. Alphys pushed one of the buttons on the panel, and the machine opened up with a grinding hiss. Gaster slowly opened the containment pod, taking the soul in his hands. He delicately placed it inside the machine, stepping back as the machine closed in around it. He walked back to the panel, looking down as he entered the final parameters. Alphys hovered her hand over a larger switch on the panel, looking questioningly at Gaster, who nodded firmly, taking a deep breath.

His heart filled with butterflies as Alphys pushed the switch, the machine whirring to life. He watched intently, praying silently as the machine went to work. There were several smaller flashes that came from the depths of the machine, as he watched the readings slowly start to spike. Alphys looked over at him as the readings reached a dangerously high point.

"S-Should we stop? T-T-The machine m-might overload!"

Gaster shook his head. "We stop now, who knows what will happen to the soul! There's no turning back now."

They watched on as the machine grew louder. Suddenly, he saw a bright red liquid begin to drip into a small vial he had set up with the machine, connected by a tube that ran between them. Finally the machine finished its cycle and slowly powered down. The heat the machine gave off was detectable across the room.

Gaster slowly approached the machine as Alphys opened it back up. There was the human soul, though it had lost a portion of its colour. He could see it quiver just slightly. He quickly scooped it up, slipping it back into the containment pod and sealing it. Gaster let himself breathe again, as he tenderly set it down on a nearby table. He then moved to the vial, detaching it from the tube and looking into it. He gave a small chuckle, breaking into an excited laugh as he smiled broadly.

"We...We did it! It worked!" Gaster declared. Alphys cracked a smile as she saw the excited joy, and relief in his eyes. He handed the vial to her.

"Keep this in a safe place, and whatever you do, let nothing happen to it. We don't know how much of it we'll be able to get, so I want to make sure we at least preserve what we have."

Alphys nodded. "Right away D-Doctor. O-Oh, do you want me t-to send out the requests?"

Gaster nodded, having nearly forgotten about them in his excitement. "Yes, as soon as you're through with that."

Alphys nodded. "O-Of course." Gaster paced the room in tight loops, hardly able to control his excitement. He was shocked the machine had worked on its first attempt. Now, what to call it? Suddenly, an idea came to his head. He quickly ran to his study and took the seat, pulling out his journal.

**Entry #5**

**I've done it. Using the new machine, I've extracted it from the human soul. I believe this is what gives their souls the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living... Let's call this power... "Determination."**

Reinald walked through the streets of Windgate, approaching Undyne. She had grown used to just letting him into Asriel's home as he had begun to visit more frequently. However, today Undyne firmly blocked his path.

"King Asriel is unable to see you today."

Reinald furrowed his brow curiously. "Oh? Might I inquire as to what the good king is doing?"

Undyne glared at him. "Absolutely not. Now scram." The door behind Undyne opened up, revealing Asriel standing behind her. Reinald nearly took a step back in surprise at the sight of him. He was leaning on the doorframe, and he looked exhausted. When he spoke, he sounded almost strained.

"Oh...Undyne, just let him...in...he's not doing any harm…" Undyne looked over her shoulder, before sighing and moving aside. Reinald followed Asriel back inside and to the living room. He noticed Asriel was limping as he moved across the room and sat in a chair opposite from him.

"Er, are you feeling alright King Asriel? You're looking very ill."

Asriel shook his head. "Nothing you should worry yourself about. What can I do for you?"

Reinald still didn't look convinced, but chose to ignore it. "I'm just stopping by for a chat, the normal. How have things been going?"

Asriel sighed. "Not as well as I would have liked. I wish King Lucas could just see reason and surrender the land already. All the fierce fighting is taking a toll on the members of the royal guard."

Reinald looked into his eyes. "Somehow, I think that's not the only reason why you wish the war could be over. Clearly you're ill yourself, why don't you just come to a compromise? I'm sure there's something that could be done."

Asriel grunted. "I will not allow compromise, only the full brunt of my terms to be met. I'm sure Lucas has gotten the message by now."

Reinald nodded slowly, then brought up another reason he had come. "I've seen you hanging around with a human child."

Asriel looked up in surprise. "You...You have?"

Reinald nodded. "Yes, a couple weeks ago. I don't understand. When you're around me, you see, stern, grim, but at least willing to socialize. From what I've heard elsewhere, you're filled with absolute hatred for humanity. But when I saw you with her...I almost didn't believe it was you. You were so gentle, so compassionate...you looked happy. So if you truly hate humans...why do you spend time with the child?"

Asriel looked to the floor. "What I do and why I do it is none of your concern." Reinald followed his gaze down to the carpet. There was a long silence, then he looked up as he heard Asriel's breathing becoming more laboured. He saw his face almost distorted in pain as he tried to gulp in air, coughing violently.

"King Asriel?" Reinald questioned urgently, seeing the pain in his face. Suddenly, Asriel slumped forward, falling out of the chair. He struck his head against the coffee table as he fell. Reinald leapt from his chair, looking over Asriel before shouting out.

"FISH LADY! I NEED HELP IN HERE!"

Almost instantly the door was practically kicked down as Undyne entered the home, spotting them almost instantly. She shoved Reinald away from Asriel, a spear in her hand.

"What did you do?!"

Reinald raised his hands defensively. "I didn't do anything! He just collapsed!" Undyne's spear vanished as quickly as it appeared as she looked him over. She then grunted.

"You need to leave."

Reinald protested. "But, will he be alright?"

Undyne shot him a fierce look. "I'll look after him. Just go."

Reinald slowly walked out of the house, glancing back over his shoulder before continuing.

**Entry #6**

**I've asked everybody in the kingdom for monsters that had 'fallen down.' Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose...and soon they'll turn into dust. But, what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If they somehow recover, then we may be closer to finding a cure than I thought.**

Gaster discarded the pen, tucking the small journal back into his pocket. He stood up and left the study. The twelve beds in the room were full of monster bodies. One was the soldier whom had signed the form first. The others were mere civilians, one even being a child. He slowly walked among the rows, speaking softly.

"We will not forget what you are helping us to achieve...I promise, you will be remembered forever for this."


	20. Experimentation

**Entry #7**

**My greatest fear is failure, especially now. I'm constantly imagining different scenarios in which the experiments can derail. I believe the simplest solution if things go wrong, would be to seal the lab, and burn the records. With Asriel's condition growing worse, I wouldn't put it past the humans to launch another attack. If the humans push us back, and find out what we're doing here, it could be devastating.**

Asriel sat up with a start. He was on the couch, one again in his old home. He rubbed his head tenderly. It hurt slightly. Asgore turned the corner and smiled at him. "Ah, there's my boy!"

Asriel nodded with a small smile. These dreams were becoming much more frequent.

"Hey Dad…"

Asgore's face looked welcoming, yet firm all at the same time. "There's something that we need to discuss with you."

Asriel groaned as he imagined exactly what waited for him. Yet, he still got up and followed Asgore through the door to the kitchen. Terrowin and Toriel were sitting around the table, looking expectantly at him. Asgore sat at the head, and Asriel took the seat he always had sat in as a child. Asgore sighed.

"We need to discuss the war, Asriel."

Asriel rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Asgore continued.

"Son...you need to understand the gravity of what you've done, the gravity of what you could do. King Lucas has wanted nothing but to make peace since you set foot on the surface. I don't see how you don't understand that!"

Asriel scoffed. "In case you're forgetting, the humans attacked us at Windgate."

Asgore shook his head. "But, Lucas said he didn't organize the attack. In fact, he even said that it was the last thing he wanted to have happen."

Asgore had to bite his tongue as he felt his anger slowly starting to boil.

"Humans can't be trusted, is my point. That's all there is to it."

Terrowin spoke up now. "We're not saying you have to like them, or even trust them. But just be willing to be open to talk about making peace. Lucas is trying his best after all."

Asriel exploded, standing up abruptly. The chair he was sitting on was knocked over as he yelled.

"I can't believe all of you! How can you sit there and want to make peace with the humans, after all they've done to us?! They declared war on us, slaughtered our people, stole our treasures, burned our homes, drove us Underground, they killed YOU Dad, and then Mom. The ONE human you tried to show mercy to. You gave her a family. You gave her a home! What did she do?! Did she thank you?! No! She MURDERED YOU! And then she killed YOU Uncle Terrowin! All of that, and you expect me to just turn around and say 'Oh yeah, everything's fine and dandy here?!'"

The three were silent as they looked at him. Toriel slowly rose from her chair, seeing the single tear sliding down Asriel's cheek.

"Oh my child...I… can understand you've had a lot of hardship in your life. You've had to experience so much loss that nobody, not even grown up should have to endure. But, the fact that you survived and pushed through makes me so proud of you. But, you also need to understand that all of that was over 300 years ago. Humans have changed, and they will continue to change. Change, can sometimes be for the good."

Asriel breathed heavily, and shook his head. "No. I don't care what you tell me, you can't change my mind."

Asgore breathed a heavy sigh. "I...I see. Well, if that is your stance on the matter then..." He and Terrowin stood up, and started to leave, leaving just Asriel and Toriel alone. Asriel stared at his mother, a burning question in his mind.

"After all that's happened to you...you still want peace. Did you actually forgive Chara? For murdering you?"

Toriel closed her eyes, and sighed, lowering her head. "Yes, I actually have. Chara was lost, Asriel. She didn't feel like she was doing enough, so she tried to do more. Unfortunately, her methods were quite...questionable. But, I've understood that now. So yes, I have forgiven her. My question to you is, can you forgive her?"

Asriel shook his head. "I would die before I forgave her."

Toriel looked at him seriously. "That day may come sooner than you think. Remember, you don't have too long yourself at this rate. Oh, Asriel...I wish you could see what you're becoming…"

Asriel tipped his head curiously. Toriel's face now held great sorrow. "You're becoming like Chara. When she was lost. You believe you fight a righteous war, but the truth is you're not! You're leading a mindless slaughter, destroying anything, and anyone that opposes you. Just like the humans all those years ago. Can't you see that? I…" Toriel sniffed. "I just want to see my son again! But, not like this! I want to see the son that was compassionate, the son that was willing to give life, not take it away!"

The words dug like knives into Asriel, who spoke shakily. "Don't...compare me to that...that demon...please…"

Toriel turned away, and Asriel could tell she was trying hard not to sob. His fist trembled as he turned away, walking back through the door. Immediately he found himself stepping into the drowning blackness. Not wanting to speak to Chara, he turned around, but the door was already gone, and in its place stood Chara herself. She sighed, as she leaned against an invisible surface.

"She's got a point you know." She said, looking over to him. "They all do."

Asriel grunted mockingly, turning away. Chara suddenly reappeared in front of him. "Why can't you just listen to them? To me? Trust us, we're trying to find an ending where everyone can be happy."

Asriel shouted furiously. "You've ensured that such an ending is an impossibility!"

Chara rolled her eyes. "Alright, yes. I killed Toriel, I killed Terrowin. It was a jerk move, and I said I'm sorry. I can't really do anything more though until you forgive me. Like, I don't know what more you want from me."

Asriel spat angrily. "I want my family back. The one you tore apart." He once more turned away, and he heard Chara speak after a moment behind her.

"I know you want them back, but it just can't happen. What's past is past, and we can't change that. Believe me, I know. I've sat in that containment jar for centuries. I honestly have regretted that decision, for every second of it. There were times I even tried to escape, just so I could truly die and move on, but I couldn't. So you've given me plenty of time to think about what I've done."

Asriel nearly glanced over his shoulder, but caught himself. Chara sighed. "What'll you do if the project Gaster is working on fails? Will you let us go? Because if you don't, you'll die."

Asriel grunted. "I'll find some other way."

Chara now sounded irritated. "But what if there isn't? If you die, everything falls apart. Humans will inevitably destroy the monsters entirely, because you were too stubborn. Everybody's counting on you. Sooner or later, you'll have to make a choice."

Asriel turned back to look at her, but she was gone, leaving him alone in the growing sea of night.

**Entry #8**

**This is it. The moment of truth. I've got one shot at this. There is no retrying this. I must make sure this goes well. His life is dependant upon my efforts.**

Gaster stood over the counter which held several syringes, all labeled with 'DT'. He heard the elevator door whisk open and he looked over to see Alphys quickly making her way over to him. She saw him by the syringes and looked up at him.

"I-It's time?"

Gaster nodded. "Indeed. Use the doses sparingly. If this works, we want to save enough to provide a cure for King Asriel, and we don't know how much more we can gain from the soul."

Alphys picked up one of the syringes, and Gaster a second. Six remained. Slowly the two walked amongst the comatose bodies, beginning the painstaking process of finding blood veins to inject the determination into. A difficult process, due to the very different physiologies of individual monsters. The two managed to split up the doses amongst the dozen bodies in the room. The two stood back, watching intently. After nearly five minutes, Alphys spoke up.

"S-Should something b-be happening?"

Gaster was curious once more. "I have to admit, I did think we would be seeing a quicker reaction. However, we are experimenting with a new substance. We have next to no knowledge on what determination is, much less how it operates. For all we know, it could be days before we see a result. Be patient. Something surely must happen eventually."

Alphys nodded, still looking nervous. "O-Okay...s-should I b-b-begin getting a-a separate dose r-ready for t-the k-k-king?"

Gaster thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No. If this turns out to be a failure, we could need that extra dose for further experimentation. There will be the time.

Alphys nodded and quickly left to check up on some of the systems in a separate room monitoring vitals of the patients. There was a small alarm that went off, signalling somebody approaching the lab. Gaster quickly ran to the elevator, allowing it to whisk him up to the surface of Hotland. As he stepped out, Undyne was there waiting for him. He took in her alarmed look.

"King Asriel?"

Undyne nodded grimly. "It's bad. It's...really bad." Gaster nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I see. We're doing everything we can from our end here. Make sure Asriel doesn't leave his home, and have a constant eye on him. I think we're close, we just need a little bit more time."


	21. Desperate Measures

**Entry #9**

**Things aren't going well. None of the bodies have turned to dust, but none of them have woken up either. I had promised the families that I would give them their dust back for the funerals. People are starting to ask me what's happening. What to do?**

Lucas took a deep breath as he came within sight of Windgate. It had been nearly a month now since the last peace talks, yet there had been nothing. It was quite unusual, as he had thought Asriel would have launched another brutal attack by now. The lack of action was concerning, and with Asriel avoiding his question of his condition last time they spoke, he had decided to check on him, in person. He figured it was the least he could do, and it might even convince Asriel he cared about the monsters and what happened to them. It might just lead to peace.

As he walked down the dirt path, entering the town, several of the monsters looked up at him. A lot of them quickly ushered the children inside, the adults glaring at him with great mistrust. He had only ever spoken to Asriel himself, so he was surprised to find how many different kinds of monsters there were. All of them looked to have families that they cared greatly for. He began to see why Asriel was fighting so hard. Suddenly, Undyne stepped into his path, snarling as she glared at him.

"You have no business here, human. I demand that you leave at once." Lucas cleared his throat. Clearly, this monster didn't know who he was.

"On the contrary my aquatic friend. I'm King Lucas Bronson, and I wish to speak with King Asriel Dreemurr, as a professional courtesy." He held out his arms. "You can search me, I'm unarmed."

Undyne didn't move, in fact her resolve seemed to harden more. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here Bronson…the fact that you're here has just made me even more sure you will not be speaking with King Asriel. Now beat it."

Lucas lowered his voice, so only Undyne could hear it. "When King Asriel and I spoke last, he didn't look as well as he usually does. I'm just wanting to see if he's alright, and if there's anything I could do to assist in his condition, if there is any."

Lucas noticed Undyne suddenly stiffen up as she spoke gruffly. "King Asriel…is fine. Now I must INSIST…that you leave."

Lucas stared her down for another minute, before nodding. "And so it is. Good day." As he turned around, he nearly bumped into a skeleton wearing a white labcoat walking directly towards him. His name tag read "Dr. W.D. Gaster, Royal Scientist." Lucas nodded politely as he stepped out of Gaster's way, though the skeleton's appearance sent a shiver down his spine.

"Oops, pardon me." With that, Lucas began to leave the village. Gaster watched as Lucas retraced his steps before speaking quietly to Undyne.

"What was HE doing here?"

Undyne grunted. "Probably wanting to learn of Asriel's weakness. I didn't tell him anything, don't worry."

Gaster nodded, and Undyne led him to the house. Lucas glanced over his shoulder, just noticing Gaster stepping inside. He shook his head as he left Windgate. Something was definitely amiss, and he had a feeling Asriel was much more ill than Undyne was letting on.

Inside, Gaster walked up to Asriel, knocking once on the door before entering. Asriel was laying in bed, and he could hear his breathing, slightly raspy as he looked over. Asriel spoke with a strained voice as Gaster entered.

"How are the experiments coming?"

Gaster paused for a moment to consider his response. He decided it would be best not to report the lack of results for now.

"Everything is going according to plan. How are you feeling?"

Asriel coughed, then gave a slight grunt of pain. "I've felt better...it's hard to even breathe, much less move. My soul constantly feels like it's on fire."

Gaster nodded. "I want you to stay in bed for your own safety your majesty. It's the best thing we can do to keep the sore from worsening. Try to move as little as possible. We'll double our efforts to find a cure."

Asriel nodded approvingly. "I know I can count on you...old friend…"

Gaster blinked once, and gave a short nod before turning around, beginning the trek back to Mount Ebott.

_**THAT EVENING…**_

**Entry #10**

**The experiments appear to have been failures. It's been three days, and there hasn't been anything. Whatever. We'll find another way. We'll have to.**

Gaster slammed the journal shut and pressed two boney fingers against his forehead. Almost three weeks in total, wasted. For the first time in his life, he had failed. Alphys had already gone home, leaving Gaster alone with his thoughts. He groaned to himself as he tried to think of where he had gone wrong, if there was any hope. Then there was the king. He decided to continue writing. It might help him clear his mind.

**Entry #11**

**King Asriel's condition is no better. He's finding it hard to breathe, much less move. I've ordered him to stay in bed at all times. If he moves much, he risks aggravating the sickness. King Lucas stopped by today to 'check in' on him. It must be bad if even the humans are noticing. It won't be long before they find out that we're vulnerable.**

Lucas paced back and forth in the throne room back at the palace. The commander of the guard walked in to see it, and questioned.

"How did the meeting go?"

Lucas shook his head. "It didn't. One of the members of the royal guard didn't even allow me to get close."

The commander chuckled. "I did tell you they wouldn't let you see him. We're at war, and they fight like savages. I don't even know why you bother holding peace talks with them. They clearly don't know what the word means."

Lucas shook his head again. "They're not savages commander. They have families, like you and me. They talk like you and me. They act like you and me. If I was in King Asriel's position, I doubt I would be doing much different. You must remember what their kind has been through. Centuries of imprisonment from an unjust war. From what it sounds like, that king was young when the first war happened. He might not know any better."

The commander scoffed. "All the more reason to throw everything we have at them. Still, did you find out anything from your visit?"

Lucas paused, scratching his chin. "They didn't let me get close, but when I mentioned that King Asriel didn't look the best when I had last spoken, she got tense. So, it looks like I was right, and he is indeed ill. Not to mention, there was a doctor, or more exactly a scientist I believe that had entered a house where, I presume, King Asriel is staying. It, might even be worse than I thought."

The commander looked excited. "Well that's perfect! If he's too sick to fight, we can just wipe them out!"

"No." Lucas's cold response was immediate. "I will not stoop so low as to strike an opponent when he's down. We will not retaliate. We will continue to offer them peace. I have a funny feeling that he'll take the opportunity eventually."

The commander sighed, shaking his head with disappointment. "If you say so your majesty…but when they attack another village, don't say I didn't warn you."

Lucas moved to a window, looking out in the direction of Windgate. Even if Asriel didn't know any better, there was something else under the surface. He could see it in his eyes when he spoke to him. It almost felt like this war was personal to him, but why?

**Entry #12**

**Nothing is happening. I don't know what to do. What is the solution? What is the key? I'll continue injecting determination into everything I want…no…I need this to work.**

Gaster tucked the journal away. If anything, writing convinced him that there had to be something that could be done, but he could only think to continue doing what he was already doing. Maybe a different size of dose would make an effect. He stood up and walked past the beds, towards the syringes. He stood over the six remaining syringes. Last time, they had divided two amongst the dozen subjects. Now, he collected all six syringes.

He moved amongst the bodies, injecting nearly half of one into each of them. It was all that he could think to do. It wasn't just Asriel relying on him. The families of the subjects were depending on him, as was the kingdom to find a cure. He knew he was right on the edge of finding it. The last of the extracted determination entered its subject, flowing towards the monsters soul. Gaster stepped back, discarding the syringes in a wastebin while taking a deep breath. Now, he would wait.

Only if this didn't work, would he admit defeat. Not before. If he admitted defeat, Asriel would be forced to either surrender in the war, or die fighting it. Either way, it would spell the end of monster kind.

_**17 HOURS LATER**_

**Entry #13**

**One of the bodies opened its eyes.**


	22. Spark of Hope

Alphys adjusted her glasses as the elevator carried her down into the lab. She had received the letter from Gaster not more than half an hour ago. She could tell it was important, because parts of it were in Wingdings, a language he often wrote in when he was excited.

She stepped off the elevator and into the lab, stopping short when he saw Gaster helping one of the monsters to sit up. She dropped the binder she was carrying as she gasped in shock. Gaster jerked his head in the direction of a bed close by. A second monster was just blinking his eyes open. She quickly made her way over to the monster, leaning over it as she spoke quietly to keep the monster from panicking.

"G-Good morning...don't be afraid...y-you're safe. I'm Doctor Alphys, one of the royal scientists." The monster nodded, looking confused. She hissed over her shoulder at Gaster.

"H-How? When?" Was all she could get out. Gaster understood.

"The first one woke up just over half an hour ago. I sent for you the moment it happened. As for the how, well... I injected the rest of the Determination samples into them, that seemed to have done the trick."

Alphys nodded, still stunned by what she was seeing. She couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "Has it really worked?" Gaster spoke suddenly.

"Just take it easy, lie still. Give yourself time to get your strength back. Alphys, find something for them to eat would you? We need to get their strength up."

Alphys nodded, quickly running off to fulfill the request. Gaster shook his head to himself, chuckling. He could hardly believe it had really worked. He was just about ready to give up. Now though, there was hope. All he would need was to make sure they could maintain the determination for a few days, and he would immediately give a dose to Asriel.

_**5 HOURS LATER…**_

**Entry #14**

**Everyone that had fallen down...has woken up. They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners…?**

Asriel groaned as he lay awake in bed. His breathing was raspy, and every attempt to drag more air into his lungs took a painful effort. The pain in his chest was unbearable. By now the black sore had nearly doubled from its original size. He was praying Gaster would find a cure soon.

He hadn't seen Frisk at all, and he let his mind wander to her, wondering how she was doing in his absence. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed right to worry about her. As he closed his eyes, he heard the voices of Toriel, and Asgore calling to him. Then, he heard Chara's voice, followed by several other voices he couldn't identify.

The pain skyrocketed and he gave out a cry. He rolled in the bed, leaning his head over the side as his chest constricted, making breathing impossible. Something was wrong. Desperately he climbed out of bed, falling onto the floor. He propped himself up with his arms, trying to drag himself to where he knew Undyne was posted`. He convulsed and coughed up a mouthful of blood on the floor, gasping desperately for air. He clawed at the floor as he dragged himself along.

Finally, strength failed him as he wheezed on the floor. Undyne, who had decided to check on him entered the house, and spotting Asriel almost instantly. She ran to him and knelt by him, rolling him onto his back as she turned his head to look at her. He could see the panic in her eye.

"Look at me your highness, just keep your eyes on me. HEY!" She called to the guard outside. "GET DOCTOR GASTER IN HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

_**MEANWHILE…**_

Gaster moved amongst the subjects, conducting blood pressure tests. All of the monsters had seemed to be in perfect condition, and many of them were talking casually amongst themselves as Gaster conducted the tests. Suddenly, a chime sounded, signalling the arrival of somebody at the lab. When Gaster looked, it was one of the message runners.

"Alphys, go see what that's all about would you?" Alphys shuffled to the elevator, and it whisked her up. When she returned, he handed him the letter.

"I-It's for you."

Gaster opened up the note to read what it says.

Undyne's handwriting, such as it was, was instantly familiar. "You need to get here right now! I just found King Asriel on the floor, he wasn't able to breathe, he was coughing up blood, I thought he was going to die!"

The monsters turned their heads as Gaster's expression grew dark. As he moved to the elevator, one of the monsters called out.

"Was that about King Asriel?"

Gaster nodded. "Yes. I'm going out. Doctor Alphys will be in charge until I return." Alphys looked overwhelmed quite suddenly, and Gaster looked in her direction.

"You'll do fine. I'll call when I know more about what's going on."

Alphys replied. "O-Ok Doctor G-Gaste-" The elevator doors whisked, cutting off Alphys slightly.

Once on the surface, Gaster began the long sprint to Windgate. He was out of breath himself by the time he finally arrived. He slowed to a brisk walk as he entered Windgate, approaching Undyne, who immediately led him up to Asriel. She stood just outside the door as Gaster walked in.

An awful sight greeted him. Asriel looked pale, and he could hear his efforts at trying to gulp in more air than he was. Gaster sighed as he did a quick check on Asriel's vitals. They were weaker than the last time he had checked.

"Well, the good news is the main spasm seems to have subsided. We're also making progress with the project your highness...we're 'this' close to getting it. Just a couple more days and we'll be getting you all better."

Asriel managed to just barely crack a smile. "T-Thank you...Gaster…"

Gaster nodded, and left the room. Later that day, Alphys met with Gaster to plan. "King Asriel is worse than ever. I'm going to be staying in Windgate. If something goes wrong, it'll be useful to have me on hand. The main experimentations are over. All you need to do is monitor the subjects, and make sure they're alright. Send word in three days. If everything's still fine, then, and only then will we give the dose to King Asriel."

Alphys was almost shaking from nervousness as she mumbled to herself. "O-Okay Doctor...i-if you think that's w-what's best…" Gaster nodded and turned back towards Windgate, leaving him with his thoughts. He tried to remain optimistic as he spoke into the air as if Alphys would be able to hear. "Alphys, I've taught you well. I believe you're perfectly capable of handling this on your own for a few days. He then glanced back up the hillcrest. "For his sake...I sure hope you don't let me down."


	23. The Dying Spark

Two more days passed by. Gaster stuck to his word and stayed in Windgate, keeping a close eye on Asriel. His sleep was often disturbed, but he hadn't had any more major fits since the last one, just before Gaster had arrived. Still though, he refused to leave for Asriel's own safety. Now he sat in the living room, once more writing in his journal.

**Entry #15**

**Seems like the research has paid off! On top of it all, we're going to get a happy ending out of it. I've instructed Doctor Alphys to ready a dose of DT for King Asriel. And I've called all of the families and told them everyone's alive and well. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. This result is relieving, to say the least.**

He tucked the pen and journal away, a smile on his face. He looked up as Undyne walked in, a letter in her hand.

"One of the runners just dropped this off for you." Gaster nodded, accepting the letter. He opened it up, picking up Alphys's handwriting. It was very messy, as though it had been written in a hurry.

"Something's wrong! I got here this morning and...they're acting like rabid animals! They're-" The letter suddenly cut off. With a shaky hand, Gaster pocketed the letter. Frantically he sprinted outside, almost knocking over Undyne who called after him.

"Doc? Where're you going?!" He didn't stop to answer.

_**3 HOURS LATER…**_

Gaster continued to mash the elevator button, listening to the quiet whir of machinery as it rose to Hotland's surface. He stepped inside, and immediately it began to carry him down. He took a deep breath, smoothing out his coat as the elevator reached the bottom, the door whisking open.

When he stepped out, he felt like he was stepping into a crime scene. The lights were almost completely out, though a few flickered every few moments. In the darkness he could see the beds had been utterly ruined, some were flipped over, and one had been ripped apart entirely. Claw marks covered the floors and walls, as if something had been scratching in a panic. He slowly walked around, hearing a faint growl from deeper in the lab. He called out, as loud as he dared.

"Doctor Alphys?"

The silence that greeted him was eery. He looked around the room, searching for any sign of Alphys, but nothing. As he continued to press further into the lab, one of the lights flickered. In the brief moment of light, he saw a creature move along the wall. It was way too big to be Alphys herself, and Gaster readied himself for a potential fight. He looked around wildly. "_Where are the subjects? Did Alphys evacuate them?" _This time the light right above Gaster flickered, and the beast spotted him instantly. With a loud roar the monster started to move towards him. In the light he could see it.

The monster was a ghostly pale white as it lumbered towards him, towering over him. He stumbled back as the beast approached. It was something that looked straight out of a nightmare. Suddenly, he tripped over one of the flipped over beds, falling onto his back. The panic began to rise in his chest as the monster grew ever closer. Just before it could lash out though, he saw another figure dart between him and the monster, and Alphys's voice rang out.

"W-W-Wait! Don't hurt him...i-i-its just D-D-Doctor G-Gaster!" Gaster stared in relieved amazement at Alphys as she held her hands out protectively. The beast looked confused, then in another flicker, almost seemed to recognize Gaster. It quickly backed away. Alphys turned and held out a hand, helping Gaster up. He shook his head as he stared at her.

"You can...communicate with that thing? What is it?"

Alphys looked dejected, and afraid all at once. "It's...two of the subjects…"

Gaster's eyes widened. "But...how?! What happened here?!"

Alphys tried to explain as best as she could. "I-I came down to do the tests like normal! B-But the subjects were acting, erratic, like they were in great pain! Th-Then, they all started to melt together into...those! I sent for you a-at once…" She broke down in tears. Gaster couldn't help but feel sympathetic for her. Alphys already struggled with her own anxieties, and no doubt this new…'development' didn't help to ease them. He gave her shoulder a pat.

"Look at me. You've done nothing wrong here. In fact, you did exactly what you should have done, which was notify me. How many of these...monsters are there?"

Alphys dried her eyes with a sniffle, wiped her glasses and spoke again. "T-There's five of them. I've managed to calm them down...s-sort of…"

Gaster nodded, and looked to the monster that had backed away. It was now trying to almost disappear in a corner, and he sighed.

"They're not angry, don't worry."

Alphys followed his gaze. "H-How can you tell?"

Gaster approached the monster slowly, watching as it shied away. "The behavior. They're not angry, they're just scared. They probably have no idea what happened to them, so they're lashing out to avoid being hurt more."

He paused, then spoke to Alphys. "See if you can round up the other four and bring them here. I'll handle things."

Alphys nodded and left the room. There were more primal grunts and growls, but finally Alphys returned, with the other four monsters in tow. Gaster nodded to each of the nightmarish creatures individually, choosing his words carefully.

"I...I understand you all must be very...confused, at what's happened here. I wish I could tell you I know for sure, but the truth is, I don't. I promise that I will work hard to try and find a way to reverse...whatever it is that happened to you. Now, I need to run a quick check on each of you. Don't worry, it won't hurt in the slightest."

The monsters fidgeted restlessly as Gaster walked to the next battered room. He picked up a special scanner, sighing with relief when he saw it was miraculously undamaged. He brought it back to the group, and ran a quick scan on each of them. A few minutes later, Alphys followed him back out of the room so they could check the results in private. When Gaster saw what they read, he felt as though something had crushed his soul, as his hopes vanished in an instant. He set the scanner down so Alphys could look.

"It's...It's the DT...it overloaded their, mostly magical, bodies. That's why they melted together."

Alphys looked up at him. "Y-You mean…"

Gaster nodded grimly. "Monsters are made more of magic than physical matter, it's likely why humans can naturally have so much Determination in the first place." He rested his head in his skeletal palm "Yes. We can't use any of it to try and cure Asriel. Not if it could do something like 'this.'"

Alphys tried to remain hopeful. "W-Well, maybe we can just... find a-another way then! We've still got the soul, we can j-just extract more!" Gaster was silent. "Right?"

Then, he spoke. "No, we can't. Alphys, Asriel is...critical. He could die any day now, or even any hour. For all I know he might already be dead. Extracting more determination and finding new subjects just takes too long. We're...We're out of time."

Alphys looked to the floor, feeling her heart sinking. "What do we...d-do now?"

Gaster sighed. "There's only one way Asriel can be saved now. I'll return to Windgate and inform him of the situation. For now, keep the monsters here. Keep them fed, and care for them as best as you can. We must make sure they aren't seen by the outside world for now. This will only be temporary, until we figure out what to do with them next. If any of their families ask, just tell them there's been a setback, and we're working on it."

Alphys stared into his eyes and slowly nodded, leaving Gaster alone. He fought the urge to scream in anger, instead taking it out on his journal.

**Entry #16**

**no NO NO NO NO NO NO!**


	24. Reconciliation

Gaster took a deep breath as he walked into the building. He blinked in surprise when he saw another human standing in the living room, pacing. He instantly recognized the human to be the wizard that had frequently visted Asriel. Upon spotting him, Reinald quickly walked over.

"Ah, Doctor Gaster I believe it was, a pleasure to finally meet you." He held out his hand for a handshake, Gaster didn't move.

"Why are you here, human?" Was his question. Reinald shook his head.

"I'm a friend of King Asriel's. I had no idea his condition was this bad! He's still upstairs."

Gaster nodded, heading upstairs to Asriel. Asriel turned his head to face Gaster as he approached. From the look on Gaster's face, he knew immediately the news wasn't good. Gaster confirmed his suspicions.

"The...experiments sire...they failed. I'm sorry, but it's just too unsafe to try and give you a cure. Even if it worked, it would give us only a couple days, if that much, to try and find another solution. I'm sorry but...there's nothing I can do."

Asriel nodded, croaking weakly. "I...I see...you tried your best…"

Gaster looked down at him. "What will you do now, sire? The only way you can possibly hope to cure yourself is if you release the souls. I'm sorry for saying this, I know your thoughts on the matter, and I share many of your feelings to humans but...perhaps you may have no choice but to negotiate for peace. If you surrender the souls, you won't be as strong anymore. Meaning the war would turn tides alarmingly quick."

Asriel nodded. "All the...same...I can't just give in…"

Gaster began to protest. "But, you'll die if you don't!"

"D-Die?" A small voice spoke from the door. Gaster turned, and was startled to see a little human girl standing in the doorframe. She looked crestfallen as she stared at Asriel. She slowly entered the room, and a solemn Reinald followed. Asriel looked to Frisk and wheezed.

"F-Frisk? What...What are you doing...here?"

Frisk's bottom lip quivered as she clutched Asriel's hand. "I-I got scared when you stopped coming to play. I thought I'd come look for you. Are you really that sick?"

Asriel was hesitant, but then nodded truthfully. Gaster decided to give the two some time. They were friends of Asriel's, perhaps they would be able to talk sense into him. Frisk spoke softly.

"But, you can't die! You're my friend! Remember?"

The words twisted Asriel's heart in a knot. He could almost here his own voice as a child in Frisk's words. Reinald shook his head sorrowfully.

"I have to side with the child on this one King Asriel. You're a good friend to us. If there is such a way to save yourself, why not take it?"

Asriel grunted, then coughed. "Humans...need to pay...for what they've done to us…"

Frisk looked sympathetic, as did Reinald, who replied. "I see. Asriel this...this is a personal war to you, isn't it?"

Asriel looked away, refusing to answer. Reinald sighed. "Why don't you tell us what happened? It might help to get some grief off your chest. We can listen all night if we need to."

Asriel was silent for several long moments, before closing his eyes and he began to speak.

"It all began the day the capital fell. That's when the world as I knew it, changed forever. The last time I saw my father, he was helping my mother and I to escape through secret tunnels running underneath the capital. Outside, I was separated from my mother. Doctor Gaster took me to Mount Ebott, where we waited for several days for my mother to return. Finally, she did, and announced we had lost the war. It was then that I realized that I would never see my father again."

Asriel took a shaky breath. "Nine years later, my world changed again. I had spent much of my youth being raised by Captain Terrowin, the head of the royal guard at the time. My mother, Lady Toriel, was often too busy running the kingdom. We were close friends, and I soon called him my uncle, though inside I regarded him as a second father. Then, a human fell into the Underground. I could have killed her. I probably should have killed her. But, I instead helped her. I saved her life, and we nursed her back to health at the palace. Over the next few months, we became close. She became my sister." Asriel looked over at Frisk. "She was a lot like you, Frisk."

Frisk looked down to the floor as Asriel continued. "One day, she came to me with a plan. She wanted to poison herself, so I could take her soul. Together, we would free all monsterkind. I refused. I didn't want to lose another family member. So, she took matters into her own hands. She murdered over two dozen monsters, trying to get their souls for herself. But, it didn't work. Only the soul of a boss monster can persist long enough to be absorbed. There were only two. My mother's, and my own. She killed my mother in her own home. I walked in just as it ended. I hunted Chara down through the Underground, finally finding her at the ruins where we first met. There, we fought. Captain Terrowin saved my life that day, by sacrificing his own. Soon, Chara also fell."

Asriel was bitter as he continued to speak. "Humans, have taken everything from me. So you'll need to understand why I find it difficult to accept that humans have changed."

Reinald shook his head. "You just need to trust us on this one. I know you've been through a lot but...things have changed. If you won't do it for humanity...at least do it for us."

Frisk wrapped her arms around Asriel's neck. The warmth seemed to waken something inside of Asriel's soul, and he nearly broke.

"I...I need to do something first."

He slowly allowed his eyes to close, and sleep to take hold. When he opened them, he was back in the meadow where he had seen Toriel the first. Now, everybody was there. Toriel, Terrowin, even Asgore. He slowly walked towards them, and looked at each one in turn.

"I'm...I'm ready. I'm ready to try and make peace."

Toriel looked overjoyed. "So, you will be releasing the souls?"

Asriel nodded slowly. "Yeah...but if I do...I won't ever get to see you again...I'll be alone. I don't know if I can handle that."

Asgore gave a warm smile. "Son...no matter what happens...you will never be alone. You might not be able to see us...but we will always walk beside you. We will never leave you."

He quickly embraced Asriel in a bear hug. Toriel joined him, and so did Terrowin. Asriel tried to hold back his emotions as he embraced the three. As he released them. He nodded.

"T...Thank you...for all your guidance." Then he turned, and began to walk into the trees. The shadows from the trees grew greater, and darker, until finally it enveloped him. He continued to walk, and then stopped. Turning around, he saw Chara standing close by with a questioning look on her face.

"So, you're going to do it." She began. "Look...I know we might not see eye to eye...but I want you to know that I care about you. Alright? That's...why I did what I did. I just wanted you to have your old home back...to be able to see the beauty of the surface again. I'm sorry it had to end the way it did."

Asriel looked down for a brief moment, then met her eyes. "I...I forgive you."

Chara looked up, the surprise visible in her eyes, followed by overwhelming emotion. She slowly walked forward, and held her arms out hopefully.

"Can...Can I get a hug?"

Asriel didn't answer, only wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tight. He let his head rest on his shoulder as he began to weep tears of joy and sorrow.

_**1 HOUR LATER…**_

Asriel grunted as he was helped up the hill by Gaster and Reinald. Undyne and Frisk followed close behind as they assisted Asriel to the top of the large grassy hill. Asriel took in a big breath of awe as he gazed down over the kingdom below. The sunrise was just peeking over the mountains beyond. The beauty was astonishing. Asriel managed to stand on his own power as Reinald and Gaster stepped back, allowing Asriel space.

He grunted as he called upon the souls. He stretched out his arms and closed his eyes. He could feel the power of the souls slowly diminishing from him, yet he felt warm and fuzzy as they began to break free. His feet lifted off the ground and he raised his head to the sky. The white flash that followed was visible across the kingdom.


	25. Epilogue

It was just past mid-day as Lucas walked towards the courtyard of the castle. He was speaking with one of his commanders.

"You're sure nobody saw what could have made that? A big flash like that doesn't happen on its own."

The commander shrugged helplessly. "I'm telling you sire, there was nothing there when we investigated!"

The two froze when they saw an armour clad figure walking towards them, being escorted by two members of the guard. When the figure was close enough, she removed her helmet, revealing a fish-like monster. Lucas blinked in surprise as Undyne began speaking immediately.

"His majesty, King Asriel Dreemurr, has requested another meeting at the hall in Chesterfield. He says he is willing to bargain for peace."

Lucas looked to the commander, who shrugged. Lucas thought for a moment, before nodding.

"Very well. Inform the good king that I will be there just before sunset tonight."

_**THAT EVENING…**_

The sun was approaching the tops of the mountains as Asriel gazed out the window. The pain had completely receded since he had released the soul, and the vicious spot that had caused him the pain had vanished almost immediately. He looked up as Lucas entered the room. Asriel noticed that Lucas was holding a satchell. Lucas paused as he saw Asriel. He looked slightly shorter from when he had less seen him, he no longer had to look up nearly as much. He also seemed...friendlier.

"King Asriel. You look...different."

Asriel nodded. "I'm not surprised. The seven souls have been released."

Lucas took a deep breath. "Ah. Might I ask what prompted the decision?"

Asriel shook his head. "Perhaps another time. For now, I want to discuss the peace treaty."

Lucas nodded, sitting down in his usual spot. Asriel spoke first. "I know what you've said about the territory I've been requesting...so instead, I will ask what you would be willing to give us, if not all of it?

Lucas put his folded hands on the table. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about this, and I think I may have a solution. I will be willing to give you all of the territory that you have been requesting. However...the humans that are currently living within the settlements in the boundaries, get to stay in their homes. They would live under your rule, and your rule alone. But, they need to have a place to live."

Asriel was hesitant, but nodded. It was a start. "This, I can accept. Now King Lucas...there is a question I have for you."

Lucas nodded. "Go on."

Asriel stared him deep in the eye. "How do I know history will not repeat itself? How do I know you will not turn on us in a year?"

Lucas leaned over and pulled out two sheets of paper, placing them in front of Asriel. He pointed to one of the papers.

"This, is a defensive pact. It signifies that we are becoming military allies. This means that should one of us require any aid, the other would provide it in any form necessary. It also would prevent us from being able to go to war against each other. This paper here…" He pointed at the other one. "...is a specialized research agreement. There is clearly much we can learn from our two races...we may as well open our individual doors to knowledge willingly to each other."

Asriel broke a smile, the first one Lucas had ever seen from him. "Good. This is good." Asriel signed both papers, and Lucas did the same. He then shook Asriel's hand, they both smiled widely.

"I'm so glad you've finally decided to make peace. I assure you, as long as I live, your kind will live prosperously here among us."

Asriel sighed warmly. "I hope to see many great things come as a result of this day."

**Entry #17**

**It's been a few months since I've last written here. There is much to update on. I suppose I shall start with the experiments. It was discovered that the DT was the direct cause for the creation of the 'amalgamates'. This is what we've begun to call the monsters that melted together. We kept them hidden for a week after the peace treaty was signed, just in case. After this, we made contact with the families and explained what happened. They weren't as mad as I had suspected they would be. I think they were just relieved to be able to have their family members back, in whatever form. We let the amalgamates return to their families the day after. Since then, much has changed. King Asriel, as mentioned, signed a peace treaty, ending the war. He released the seven human souls, and has been in perfect condition ever since. King Lucas and King Asriel have had several meetings since then, all of which have been productive. The humans don't seem to mind living under Asriel's rule, and everybody seems happy. The Underground has been completely abandoned, although Alphys sometimes returns there with human scientists. She's been delighted to have other scientists to talk to. She's said she's wanted me to take over instead as I am the current head scientist, but I insisted on her remaining in charge. After all, I've lived a long life, and I'll be resigning shortly. For now though, all that matters is that the centuries of pain and suffering are over. We're finally on the surface, and we can now look forward, into a new dawn.**

Gaster closed the journal, and stared out of the cottage window on the hill, sighing blissfully as he stared off into the sky, bright orange from the beautiful sunset.

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**So ends the final chapter in the Kingdom Come AU. I want to give a massive thanks to you, the readers, for sticking with me through the series, I know I had an amazing time writing it. I also want to big a huge thanks to my friend Adam who soent hiurs of time helping me plan and proofread every last chapter. Stick around for regular updates for Underfire, and go give it a look if you haven't yet. I'll talk to you all next time, and as always I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. So with that, I bid you farewell, and goodnight.**


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